Tempus Maximus
by Capt.Hazard
Summary: Harry Potter - Twilight crossover. Harry and his friends are offered the chance to go back into the past to try and change things for a better future. They recieve help from some friends in America who also have ties to them. Will this plan work out or will they fail to achieve anything? Read on and find out. *Energizer W.I.P award nominee for 'Most promising Crossover FanFiction'*
1. Back to the Beginning

One could not call the life of Hadrian Jamieson Potter-Black, more commonly known as Harry James Potter, a normal one. From the day he was born, fate seemed to have it in for him. A little over a year after he was born, his mother and father were taken from him, murdered by a madman with a quest for power. They were betrayed by someone who they thought was a friend. Harry was then taken away from his godfather, Sirius Black, and was sent to live with his mother's sister, Petunia Dursley, her husband Vernon, and their son Dudley.

Sirus Black was carted off to Azkaban Prison, after he was framed by Peter Pettigrew, the one who betrayed Lilly and James Potter. He would spend 13 years as an innocent man for crimes that he did not commit. He would not have been in this situation had he not lost his temper and chased after the traitor. He also would not have been put through this had he actually gotten a trial but Bartemius Crouch Sr. did not think it was prudent for him to have one. Neither did Millicent Bagnold who was the Minister at the time. The only thing that kept Sirius sane from the effects of the Dementors, the guards of Azkaban, was the fact that he was innocent.

Harry Potter was treated like a slave by his relatives, from the time he could walk. He was told to clean, cook and tend to the garden while also being verbally and physically abused as well as being starved. He was forced to sleep in a broom cupboard despite the fact that the house had four bedrooms. He did not know his real name until he started school because he was always called 'Boy' or 'Freak' at home. He was a very bright child but he had to dumb himself down so he couldn't show up his cousin or else he would be locked in the broom cupboard for an indefinite period of time with no food or water.

He was told that no one loved him, that no one cared for him. That his parents were worthless drunks who amounted to nothing and died in a car accident. Roughly a month before his 11th birthday, Harry recieved a letter. Because of that letter, the next seven years of his life were far from ordinary.

He made friends for the first time in his life. One over food and the other by defeating a troll. He was nearly killed nearly every year he was in school by the man who murdered his parents - and who was supposed to be dead. The only times he didn't get killed were in his third and seventh years. Though that was mostly because the only threat he faced in his third year was from his godfather and his friend who was a werewolf. He did not attend school in his seventh as he was on a mission (One that involved him sacrificing himself to get rid of a soul anchor that was lodged in his scar along with several others so he could he finally defeat the dark lord who was resurrected in his fourth year).

Through out those years Harry also experienced happiness, betrayal, loss, and finally peace. After losing someone he considered a father, losing someone he saw as a grandfather, losing someone who had become his friend in a time where nearly the entire school turned on him, being tortured and nearly killed by a member of wizarding government, and finally killing the man who fate deemed as his equal, did Harry finally know peace.

A peace that unfortunately, did not last for too long.

Later on in life, Harry was dubbed The man who conquered and his friends enjoined success as well. He decided to write out his life story in a series of books so everyone would get a more accurate portrayal and not all the trash that was printed about him over the years and hoped that people would see that he hated his fame. Seven books for seven years, he had told his friends and he would only do it if they were on board with the idea. They agreed after all the details were sorted out.

Harry and his friend Ron Weasley drifted a part and they ceased being friends when the latter started to become arrogant and spiteful towards Harry. It got worse when Harry was betrothed to Daphne Greengrass who a Slytherin student in their graduating class and was to be his wife for the Black title which he inherited from his godfather. Something he discovered after he was able to explain what happened to the goblin king Ragnok when he and his friends broke into Gringotts to steal a soul anchor. Ron commented that Harry now had a filthy snake he could use his snake speaking abilities on (Something that was discovered in their second year). Harry ignored that and him but the final straw was when he saw Ron savagely beat Hermione while he was drunk outside of the Leaky Cauldron. Harry almost killed him but his friends stopped him while sending Ron away to recover at St. Mungos.

In 2005 Harry's relationship with the Weasley's wasn't exactly the same after that. Arthur, Bill, Charlie, Percy, George and Ginny didn't blame him for hurting Ron, most of them wanted to hurt him too. It was Molly Weasley that was the problem. She kept saying that her boy couldn't do something like that and blamed Hermione for what happened. Harry had actually drawn his wand on her and said that she was deluded to think that Hermione was to blame and Molly banned him from their home, saying that she didn't to see him anymore if he was going to stick up for that 'mudblood harlot'. Harry hexed the woman he had considered as a second mother before stalking out of the house. No one stopped him and only Ron vowed to get revenge on Harry.

Harry and Ginny were together at the time all this happened but at that point they started to realize that they acted more like siblings than a couple. After what happend with Molly, they parted ways amicably with Harry spending more time with his betrothed and Ginny dating Dean Thomas again after nine years.

Harry's godson Teddy Lupin, who was the son of his fathers friend, Remus Lupin, and Nymphadora Tonks, Sirius' cousin, lived with his grandmother Andromeda until he was twelve years old because she had passed away. He then went to live with Harry as he was his godfather and both of Teddy's parents said that he would live with Harry in the event that no one could take him. Harry loved Teddy like his own so it wasn't even a hard decision to take him in.

The wizarding public still exhibited sheep like tendencies when someone would say something bad about Harry or praise him. Both scenarios grated Harry's nerves because he wanted to be left alone. The worst was when grieving families tried to sue him for not killing the dark lord sooner and saving their familes. Harry admited that things could have been planned better but he only had so much to go on and the Ministry was against him at the time.

Kingsley Shacklebolt, who was minister at the time, fought against this idea by saying that they owed Harry a debt that could never be repaid and people should leave him alone. Most people did while others remained defiant like Ron who was very vocal in that campaign.

Things came to a head in 2010 when Ron attacked Harry and his friends and family. The group included Teddy, Neville Longbottom,Harry's god brother and his wives Hannah and Susan. Hermione Granger. who was also Harry's fiancé for the Potter family. His sister in law Astoria and her husband Draco who was his rival in school. Luna Lovegood whom he met in his fifth year. And the last of the group were Daphne's friend Blaise Zabini and his wife Tracey.

Ron used blasting curses to keep the group unbalanced. He then used a cutting hex on Teddy and the torture curse on Hermione. Harry, after mentally cursing himself for not minding his surroundings, blasted Ron with an overpowered stunner that ripped a hole into his chest, killing him almost instantly. The response to this incident was split down the middle with one side saying Harry was in the right with the other saying he was wrong. After Harry showed people the memory of what happened, more people sided with him except for the likes of Molly Weasley who tried to attack Harry but was arrested and placed in the cells at the Ministry.

Things like this happened repeatedly but life took a turn for the worse in 2013 Wizarding society began to crumble and deterioate throughout the years following the war because the people refused to change their ways. Harry had become disillusioned with wizarding Britain even though he tried to rebuild it all but he couldn't think of going anywhere else because there was no where they could go. The I.C.W. had basically cut off all ties with Britain until they could clean up their act after the second wizarding war. Whatever allies that Britain had were gone as well and whoever wished to leave Britain could only do so if they gave up their citizenships as the other countries had refused to acknowledge magical Britain and it's government.

Harry thought that he and his family would have to suffer until he got a letter from a family in America, offering them sanctuary. Harry's friends also got the same letters. It was from a man named Artorius Nero who claimed to be related to Harry through his mother who was a member of the Black family. Harry nearly called bollocks on that because he didn't see anyone named Octavia Black on the family tree but his wives pointed out that she could be distantly related and not from the main line. Harry had considered that but he was still hesitant about going. To him, Britain was the only place he called home despite all it's faults.

After some debates, serious thinking, transferring of funds, and emotional good byes to those who decided to stay behind, they accepted the offer and headed to America, leaving the place they called home behind with the hope of starting anew.


	2. Meeting part One

"Here we are." Artorius Nero announced to the group of magicals as they walked into his board room. It looked like a typical board room save for the table that had an eagle with it's wings spread open engraved in the center of it. They all took chairs with Narcissa Malfoy, who was clinging to her younger siblings as if her life depended on it, lead her siblings to some chairs and sat down. The others followed suit with her son Draco, and his wife, Astoria, sitting opposite them. Harry Potter-Black, his wives Daphne Black and Hermione Potter, took of three chairs for themselves with Harry's godson sitting close to them. Neville Longbottom-Lestrange and his wives, Hannah Longbottom nee Abbott and Susan Lestrange nee Bones sat close to them. Blaise Zabini and his wife, Tracey Zabini nee Davis and Luna Lovegood sat close to Malfoy and his wife or by Harry.

"I'm very happy that all of you accepted my offer." Artorius continued as he sat down. His cousin Bertram and his best friend Wilfred sat on his right and left. Their parents extended the table and added more chairs so they could sit down as well. "I was unsure if you would but I'm glad that you did."

"Why did you make the offer?" Blaise Zabini asked in a neutral tone. He was very curious and very confused when he got a letter and those feelings increased when he found out that his friend Daphne and her family got one as well along with Lovegood, Longbottom, and Malfoy. He didn't express those feelings out loud and he wasn't planning too.

Artorius regarded him for a moment before he answered the question.

"A good portion of the people sitting at this table are of blood relation to me." Artorius began slowly. "I've never been able to contact any of you before due to the fact that our magical communities...loath each other. That and none of you knew I existed or had a reason to come here."

"And since the social and political climate went down the tube, you offered us a chance to get away," Was the cool answer from Daphne Black. "And all it cost us was giving up our British citizenships."

"A small price to pay for a fresh start," Narcissa Malfoy cut into the conversation. Her voice was a little shaky but she pressed on as her sister, Octavia, rubbed her back while her brother, Cassius, gripped her hand. "A very small price in my honest opinion. We could be stuck in Britain, slowly dying like the rest of the community or we can here and do something new." She paused and looked at her siblings before looking back to Daphne. "I don't know about you my lady, but I'm happy to have at least some of my family back."

Daphne showed no outside emotion but she did wince internally as memories of Narcissa's broken form at Andromeda's funeral flashed through her mind. Narcissa was hysterical and she had to be stunned so Draco could take her home.

"And we're happy to have you back Cissy." Octavia murmured before kissing her sister's temple. An action that was mirriored by her brother.

"I'm sorry," Astoria Malfoy nee Greengrass began. "I don't mean to be rude but how is it that you two are her siblings?" She asked with a frown as she eyed her mother in law.

"It's a long story," Cassius Black admitted with a sigh. "But basically, my sister and I defied the wishes of our father and our dear old uncle Orion made people forget about us by using the family magic combined with the Fidelius charm." He took a breath and continued. "We came here by sneaking on to some muggle tanker ship that was headed here and we told our story to the American Ministry. They gave us asylum and later we renounced our citizenships which we did without a second thought but we kept our names. I got a job as a private detective while building capital here and I homeschooled Octavia because we couldn't afford to send her to Salem."

He paused and glanced at the newcomers expressions. They all looked horrified at what happened to the Black siblings though Astoria looked sheepish.

"Do not feel bad my niece," Cassius told her gently. "It was a fair question that you asked and we would have discussed it anyway." She nodded at him though she still felt bad. "Over the years I had become respected amongst the lords here in the states and I became a lord myself after I gained enough social standing." He turned to his wife Lucretia and smiled. "I also happened to meet a very kind woman who later became my wife." He grabbed her hand and placed a kiss on it. Nacissa gave Lucretia a quick once over, sizing up her sister in law and seeing if she was worthy for her brother. One look at her brother's face told her that she didn't need to worry about her. "We also had two children, one of whom is in this room." Cassius shot a grin towards Bertram who grinned back. "I paid tribute to you." He told Narcissa who stared at him. "His middle name, it's a tribute to you."

"You did?" Narcissa whispered and Cassius nodded.

"I did." He replied. "His full name is Bertram Narcissus Black. I think he may have mentioned it earlier but I'm not sure." He gave his son a questioning look.

"I used my name to give an oath to Lord Malfoy while you three were occupied," Bertram replied and Narcissa gave her son a look. "It's not his fault aunt Narcissa," Bertram added quickly, seeing her look. "I did it to prove that what I told him was true."

"What did you tell him?" His father asked.

"That we were family." Was the response.

"Well you should show them the family tree," His father murmured before turning to Narcissa who patted his knee. "Yes Cissy?"

"You said you had two children?" She asked quietly and Cassius smiled.

"Yes, I have a daughter as well." He said. "Her name is Artemis, Artemis Dorea Black."

Harry Potter stared at Cassius when he mentioned the name Dorea as that was his grandmother's name as well. He shrugged it off thinking that there were many names that were repeated in the Black family so it wasn't that much of a stretch.

"You named her after the moon goddess?" His sister asked. "And aunt Dorea as well?"

"She has her mother's grey eyes," Cassius told his sister. "And Aunt Dorea was very kind to us as children, I wanted to pay tribute to her as well. She's at home now, but she'll join us later."

Narcissa nodded with a smile on her face before turning to Octavia and raising a sculpted eyebrow.

"And you Octavia?" She asked.

"I have three children," Octavia said. "That's my oldest child, Artorius though I call him Arthur sometimes while Drew calls him Artie."

"Drew?"

"My daughter." Octavia smiled. "Drusilla Bellatrix Nero." She noticed that a few people tensed at the girls middle name so she pressed on before they could speak. "She's my youngest." She added. "She's at home with Artemis and my other son, Tiberius."

"All of them have very old names." Hermione Potter commented to her family. "Names from-"

"The Roman Empire." Artorius added to her comment, making her turn to him. The others turned to him as well. "A part from my name, my family has always named their sons after figures from the Roman Empire. My father's name is Claudius, my grandfather's name was Caesar. Even our surname is derived from a Roman Emperor."

"Do you have ties to Rome?" Hermione asked him, her curiosity rising.

"Yes we do." Claudius Nero rumbled with a smile. Hermione turned to him and studied his features. He had long brown hair and was broad shouldered. He had this intense presence about him but his eyes had a certain amount of warmth to them. "We can trace our history all the way back to the Empire."

"You can?" Hermione gasped and Claudius smiled even more before waving his hand. A large piece of parchment appeared out of thin air. At the top of it, the was a golden Eagle with it's wing spread out and it's head to the side. Names and words started to appear with the first name being Augustus, the first Emperor in Julio-Claudian dynasty. There were other names like Caligula, Germanicus, Marcus Vipsanius Agrippa etc. which lead all the way to Claudius Nero and his family.

"Does that answer your question Lady Potter?" Claudius asked with a smile and she nodded at him.

"May we see the Black family tree?" Harry inquired, speaking up since he first entered the room. "Something tells me it's different than the one back at the ancestral home."

Claudius nodded to Bertram who waved his hand and another large piece of parchment appeared. This one had the Black family tree which began Hercules Black and his wife Julia Yaxley. The names that followed were people named after constellations Perseus or Auriga until it lead to Theodore Lupin, Draconis Malfoy, and Hadrian Potter.

"Who are they?" Draco asked, pointing at the names of Jacob William Black, Collin Damien Littlesea, Brady Jackson Fuller, Leah Susan Clearwater, Seth Harrison Clearwater, Jared Donald Cameron, Danielle Elizabeth Cameron, Derek Marshall Cameron, Laurence Christian Fox, and Thomas James Nakoa Matthews Canis-Draconis.

"They're our cousin's that live in Washington and Alaska respectively." Bertram replied evenly. While he didn't take an oath to not reveal their true nature, he wasn't going to bring up the fact that they were wolf shifters.

"Are they shape shifters?" The dreamy voice of Luna Lovegood drifted across the room, causing several people to jump because they forgot she was there. "A friend of mine said that America was filled with them, the largest concentration being in the first area you mentioned." She peered at the parchment again until her eyes landed on a name she was looking for. "Ah, Ephraim Black." She said sagely. "I've heard many stories about him. One of which was that he and his wolf pack made a treaty with a coven of vampires lead by Carlisle Cullen also known as Stregoni Benefici, the natural enemy of all evil vampires."

Bertram and his friend Wilfred gaped at the spacey woman. Artorius merely blinked at her. They couldn't believe she knew all of this information. Some people from the British group where going to write her off until they saw the expressions the three men were sporting.

"How could you possibly know that?" Bertram asked her with an incredulous expression.

"I have friends in high places." Luna said simply.

"So some of our American cousins are...animal shifters?" Harry asked the room at large. He didn't have a problem with magical creatures or people who weren't entirely human but he wanted to confirm what he just heard so there weren't any misunderstandings.

"Yes, they are." Bertram said after a moments hesitation. "We never took oaths to not disclose that information but I suppose it dosen't matter since one of you is very knowledgeable about them anyway." He shot a small smile to Luna who smiled back a little. "Yes, those individuals you see on the tree are descendants of Taha Aki, the last spirit chief and the first wolf shifter of La Push Washington."

"Wolf shifters?" Teddy Lupin asked. "Are they like...werewolves?" He was curious about half beings or magical creatures. When he when to school at Hogwarts, Care for magical creatures was his favorite subject and he had leanred a lot in that class.

"No." Bertram shook his head with a small smile. "They thought they were actual werewolves because their natural enemies are vampires but they have acquired knowledge that dispels that idea."

"So they turn into actual wolves or...?" Tracey Zabini trailed off with a raised brow. Her husband was curious as well so he matched her action.

"Well they look like actual wolves and even have the right fur color but their size..." Bertram trailed off.

"What about their size?" Draco asked.

"They're roughly the size of an average horse," Bertram replied and the British group, apart from Luna, stared at him, waiting for a punch line to be delivered. It never came.

"The size of an average horse," Astoria repeated slowly, a huge frown on her face. "Are you taking the Mickey out of us?" Her family was one of the few pureblood families that actually ventured out into the non-magical world so she knew some things like the slang that was used.

"Never heard of any one called Mickey apart from that one song I heard but if you feel that I am insulting you ma'am, I swear I am not." Bertram replied with a bit of humor but he was also being serious. His mother and both of his aunts sighed in exasperation as they were reminded that his father did the same thing from time to time. Said man grinned at his son for doing so and the rest of the family just rolled their eyes at Bertram.

"How do you know that they are the size of horses?" Teddy asked. "Have you seen them in their forms?"

"He knows because he is one." Luna commented before Bertram could speak. Everyone stared at her. Some with blank looks or with wide eyes.

"How the hell did you know that?!" Bertram demanded.

"Bertram!" His mother barked at him. "Mind your manners!" She snapped but her son wasn't listening.

"I heard you whinny through your coughing fit earlier," Luna said serenely and Bertram began to blush.

"I did not whinny." Bertram denied lamely while his cousin and best friend looked amused.

"Oh but you did just like your cousin and your friend growled at you for that joke you made earlier." Luna went on and all three men stared at her. "So the question is, are all of you animagi or something else?" She raised an eyebrow at them and the others turned to the men to see how they would answer.

"You're very astute Ms. Lovegood." Artorius said with a smile before standing up and turning into his black maned lion form which he called Nemeaus. He approached Luna slowly and she ran a hand through his mane when he was close enough to her. Bertram and Wilfred shared a glance before turning into their other forms they called Mustang and Mecha respectively.

Artorius trotted over to his pride and placed himself between them. It was a strange image seeing two predators and animal that could be considered their prey were sided by side and showing unity. After a few moments they changed back and took their seats.

"Natural?" Luna asked and they nodded.

"Natural." They said.

"Merlin." Teddy let out a breath. "Back home there weren't any natural animagi. On record at least. When did you three discover that you were animagi?"

"Teddy," Harry said in a warning tone. "That's a little personal don't you think?" Teddy ducked his head, trying to fight a blush that threatened to grow on his face which was a easy because of his Metamorphmagus abilities. He realized that it was a bit much to ask but he couldn't help himself.

"Oh can it Potter," Draco rolled his eyes, coming to the defense of his cousin. Had he harbored the propaganda that he spouted when he was younger, Draco would have mocked Teddy for being the son of a werewolf and a daughter of disowned pureblood. But as he grew older and saw the world for what it was, he let go of those feelings and embraced Teddy with open arms. "The boy asked a fair question and I'm sure our host would tell him the answer or simply choose not to."

Harry gave Draco a look who returned it without any hesitation. While they didn't hate each other anymore, and they spoke to each other in a somewhat civilized manner, there were still moments where they wanted to rip each other's throats out. The only reason they didn't was because their wives, Astoria and Daphne, were sisters and they laid down the law from the beginning. Be nice or be hexed into oblivion.

After what felt like an eternity, Harry inclined his head slightly and turned to his godson, "I'm sorry Teddy, I didn't mean to make you feel bad."

"It's ok Harry," Teddy murmured. When he was younger he used to call Harry uncle or Harry or sometimes Dad because for awhile Harry was like a father to him. When he was old enough, Harry told him that he could call him by name if he liked and Teddy took it to heart. "I couldn't help myself."

"Your a lot like me when I was your age," Hermione chuckled fondly as memories from her school days flashed through her mind. "Although I was worse than you I suppose."

"You had an amazing thirst for knowledge is all." Harry said firmly.

"But I was very abrasive though." She countered. "Everyone who went to school with us knows that love."

Draco flinched slightly as he remembered all the times he made fun of Hermione. Part of it was his pureblood delusion telling him Hermione was inferior because she wasn't of magical birth. Another part of it was because he was jealous that she was that smart. He had genuinely apologized to her after graduation and she accepted it.

"We found out we were animagi when we were children," Wilfred said as he noticed Malfoy's flinch and the growing tension. "We were at a party hosted by Alexander Parkinson. Yes you heard that correctly." He added when Draco stared at him with wide eyes. "There was a Parkinson branch here in the states."

"Was?" Neville Longbottom-Lestrange asked, speaking up since he first arrived to the building. He was remaining quiet because this meeting was technically between the houses of Black and Malfoy and their American cousins but that comment peaked his interest and he had to speak up. The only Parkinson he ever encountered was Pansy Parkinson and she was absolutely dreadful when they were children. As she grew older she at least acted civil around Neville, his family, and his friends.

"Yes, there was a Parkinson branch here." Wilfred said flatly. While he didn't wish death on anyone he wasn't mourning over Alexander Parkinson.

"What happened?" Susan Lestrange inquired.

"I ended it." Artorius said, his voice just as flat as Wilfred's. "I'll explain after Wilfred is finished with his story first."

The British group exchanged glances but nodded their heads in agreement.

"Anyway, we were at a party," Wilfred continued with his story. "There was...an altercation between myself and another child."

"Altercation?" Bertram interrupted, incredulity lacing his words and features. "The damn troll was just being a brat because you had something he didn't."

"Bertram!" His mother hissed at him. His father had a twinkle in his eyes and one thought in his mind, _That's my boy._

"Oh come on mom," Bertram replied in a dismissive tone. "You know he looked like a troll, hell he still does and he was being a brat."

His mother glared at him but her lips twitched slightly.

"That's still not a nice thing to say." Was the terse response but Bertram shrugged.

"They're not nice people." Bertram shrugged again.

"As I was saying," Wilfred went on. "There was an altercation between myself and another child which lead to the discovery of our natural animagus abilities...and my other ability."

"Other ability?" Harry asked him and instead of replying, Wilfred decided to show him.

Normally Wilfred's gift was instant but he decided to slow it do so he wouldn't startle them. He started to encase the skin on his face first then his hands. The British group watched in awe as the muscles in his face were emphasized by a metallic alloy.

"Sweet Merlin." Several of them gasped and Wilfred smiled slightly.

"That's a better reaction than the first one I got." He told them as he changed his skin back. "The troll, as my friend likes to call him, fell to the ground in shock and his father yelled at me."

Wilfred's father tensed up and his wife patted his shoulder to calm him down though she was upset as well. That man had no right to yell at a child especially one that wasn't his.

"What happened after that?" Daphne warily asked. She noticed the reaction from Wilfred's father so she had a feeling that this story was going to get worse. That feeling was shared by the other people in the British group.

"I hit him." Bertram answered her before Wilfred could speak. Daphne raised an eyebrow at him so he continued. "I kicked him as hard as I could but I did it as a black colt though I didn't know it at the time." He paused for a moment before speaking again. "The moron backhanded me after that and I flew across the room."

Narcissa felt her brother go rigid and she looked at his face. She shuddered at the fire that was in his eyes at the moment. She felt angry about what happened to her nephew but she could only imagine what her brother must be feeling.

"Wilfred and I attacked him next," Artorius picked up the story after he noticed his aunt's shudder and the fire behind his uncles eyes. "We had changed as well though we didn't know that we did either."

"Our dads had to pry us off of him." Wilfred added.

"And my dad beat the idiot senseless." Bertram finished with a look in his dad's direction. He didn't like the look in his eyes but they had to finish the story.

There was a moment of tense silence that Artorius decided to break.

"The Parkinson branch that was based here in America was started over 250 years ago." He said to the room at large. "50 years after that, they started a group know as the Blue Lions. The group was filled with orphans who reached their Majority. They...were like a small army for the Parkinson Family." He paused for a moment and waved his hand. Pitchers of water and iced tea along with glasses appeared on the table. "My apologies for not offering any beverages earlier but I suppose we got lost in story telling. Please, help yourselves." He gestured to the drinks and everyone gladly accepted them. After everyone took a drink, Artorious continued.

"The group would carry out whatever Lord Parkinson wanted them too," He said. "They weren't a terrorist group but their methods were very heavy handed, more so in the recent years. Alexander Parkinson was the last Lord of the American branch of the Parkinson family. He had a daughter named Jenna who died giving birth to a child. He planned to use some of his best men to interrogate and destroy a coven of vampires and their shifter allies."

"This coven and their friends live in Washington." Luna added and after a moment Artorius inclined his head. "They're friends are the ones on that parchment." She nodded to the family tree and Artorius nodded after a moment.

"Yes they would have been attacked though I doubt they would have been in too much trouble." Artorius admitted. "However that's not the point, they should not have had that sort force against them in the first place. Our friend, Davis Chan, overheard about it from some Lion's who couldn't help but brag about it and gave us the information because he knew that we had family out there. What he didn't know was that both groups were one in the same.

"I confronted Parkinson about this at a meeting that I held here in this room with other wizarding families that live here in the states. He claimed that his daughter hadn't checked in with him and he wanted answers. I had no problem with him finding answers but I did have a problem with him sending his men after my family. I did not reveal this at the meeting mainly because I didn't want them to know and the families that live in Washington did not know of our existence. Plus as I've said before the methods that the Lions used were very heavy handed and had were not very subtle. Parkinson was willing to risk exposure to get his answers."

"Did you challenge him to a duel?" Blaise asked him. He had a feeling that Parkinson lost his life in a duel but he wasn't sure if it was at that moment or at another point in time.

"He challenged me," Artorius murmured. "But not at that time. He instead tried to rally support from the families that were here which was a big mistake because whenever there was a debate between families, it was usually split down the middle. Our allies, the Chan's and his allies, the Dragunov's, backed us up respectively. The only family that didn't offer any sort of support to either of us was the Mann family. It was hardly a surprise as they have always maintained neutrality when it came to such things though they have always been kind to the other families.

"Like I said I didn't have a problem with him finding answers and I even suggested that he arrange a meeting between the coven leader but he refused. I...I told him that if he went through with the plan there would be a harsh reaction. He waited for some time to pass before making his move but we kept tabs on his men."

"Bertram and I followed the group before confronting them," Wilfred added to the story. "Bertram hit one of them with a stunner and we tried to get them to leave."

"They refused and we fought them." Bertram said. "It got pretty nasty but we came out unscathed."

"If it got nasty, then how did you come out unscathed?" Teddy frowned at him.

"I meant that it got nasty for them," Bertram explained hesitantly. He was hesitant because his mother and Wilfred's mother was in the room. They knew that the boys fought and could fight their own battles but they didn't know all of the details and they wouldn't like the details in this story. "They fired some very…nasty spells at us."

"Such as?" His mother said coolly though there was an edge to her voice.

"I would like to know that as well." Flora White, Wilfred's mother added.

Both men hesitated and shifted in their seats.

"Boys," Both women said coldly. "Finish the story."

They shifted even more and despite the tension they continued with the story.

"Well," Wilfred began, licking his lips nervously. "They uh shot torture and killing curses at me."

"What!" His mother shrieked and his father glared at him. They had told their fathers about the fight but they never said anything like this! Cassius was also glaring at his son while his wife leapt out of her chair and stomped over to Bertram.

"Bertram Narcissus Black!" She screeched and her son flinched at the noise. "Why am I only hearing about this now? The fight happened last year!"

"Because I uh left some things out," Bertram joked weakly but he paled when his mother looked even angrier. "Look mom we were fine. Wilfred was able to block those curses because his skin is magic resistant and I blocked all the curses that were sent my way. I even threw them back."

"What did they fire at you?" His mother asked him, her voice barely about a whisper, her eyes hard like stone.

"Disemboweling hexes, blasting curses, stuff like that." Bertram sighed.

"How many men?"

"Fifteen."

His mother stared at him for a moment before pulling him into a hug. Wilfred's mother did the same.

"Don't get yourself into a situation like that again." She ordered him.

"I can't make that promise mom." Bertram told her. "When it comes to someone trying to hurt our family I won't just sit back and do nothing."

"But you won't have to fight anymore," His mother protested. "You have the pride-"

"Who are still training mom," Bertram interrupted her. "And even with all the training they have they'll never be as good as us."

His mother hugged him tighter. Wilfred patted his mom's back as she did the same to him.

"We're not little boys anymore mom," Wilfred told his mother. "Things like this will happen from time to time." His mother nodded against his chest though she didn't like that fact.

The British group kept quiet though they couldn't help but wonder how well these two fought if they could avoid things like what was mentioned against that many people and come out unharmed.

"We killed the majority of the group in the skirmish," Wilfred said to the room at large as he held his mother. "Only two survived. One who I incapacitated in the beginning, and the Lion Bertram stunned. We sent them back to their boss to tell him the news."

"I called a meeting with the other families," Artorius picked up the story. "And he showed up with a group of twelve men, two of which took one of my employee's hostage. She's fine now," He added when he heard gasps from the new group. "She doesn't work for me anymore but I made sure that she got the help that she wanted and needed. At the time no alarm had been raised because our security guards couldn't or else the girl would have been killed. At least that's what they were told.

"Wilfred found the girl in a supply closet with the two morons that took her. She wasn't hurt but she was very scared. Bertram stayed here in this room to greet the other families and to keep an eye on Parkinson. After I came in from checking in with Wilfred, I told the other families the situation, and demanded answers from Parkinson. He refused at first but he eventually old us that he knew his daughter was dead because he had a self updating family tree. Dring the conversation I came to the conclusion that he was really doing all of this to get his grandson."

"How did you figure that one out?" Harry asked him. The years of experience he had as an auror told him that him something was up with the Parkinson situation. Apart from what happened to his daughter at least. He didn't know what and he had considered that it might involve the child but he wanted to get more information.

Similar thoughts flashed through the minds of Draco, Blaise, and Hermione.

"Because of how his daughter acted." Artorius replied. "She never acted the way he wanted her too. He wanted her to produce an heir for him but she was always more focused on her work. They both wanted the Parkinson name to continue and thrive but they never reached an agreement on how that should be done. Alexander wanted to just have the name to continue because he only had one child and it wasn't a male heir.

"Jenna wanted to gain more power because she felt that it was a more important factor. She was a brilliant Technomancer and one hell of a fighter. She was a small woman but she could take on someone that was three times her size and come out on top."

"You sound like you admired her." Daphne commented.

"I respected her to a point." Artrious shrugged. "She was easily the best Technomancer here in the states and one of the top fighters. And while she did things that were questionable, she never pretended to be something that she wasn't. Her father on the other hand..." He trailed off before shaking his head and continuing his story. "When things weren't going his way, Parkinson challenged me to a duel. While we never said it out loud, it was a duel to the death as neither of us had the option to yield and we had no rules."

"So you could have used Unforgivable curses?" Hermione asked him and he frowned slightly.

"Yes and we don't call them that here," He replied. "I'll explain that another time but let me finish this story. So we had picked our seconds, he picked a man named Titus and I picked Bertram as it was his turn."

"Wilfred and I alternate being his second," Bertram murmured before anyone could ask. "Uncle Claude and Andy are the only other people Nemeaus would choose to be his second if we couldn't do it."

"Whose Andy?" Some people asked while others said, "Nemeaus?"

"Those questions will be answered shortly," Artorius told them as he gave his cousin a hard stare for making the story even longer. Bertram grinned impishly at him. "After we transfigured a platform for us to fight on, Lord Ma Kuan Mann over saw the duel as he and his family were a neutral party in the argument between Parkinson and I. The duel barely lasted five minutes and after I defeated Parkinson, I cast the Praedia Bellica spell, and gained control over his house."

The British group stared at him with wide eyes. That spell was used in many major battles or blood feuds between rival houses but it hadn't been used in centuries because it fell out of favor amongst the public. At least in the United Kingdom.

"Why did you do that?" Blaise asked him. "Is that spell used frequently here?"

"No it's not ," Artorius answered. "And I did it so no one would find out about Jenna's son. He's perfectly content with the family who adopted him and I was not going to allow anyone to disrupt that." He said firmly. He didn't want Henry to be attacked or molded into something that he wasn't. "All the assets and properties that were owned were either given to my dad, sold to the Ministry, auctioned off to other families or given to his grandson, Henry."

"How old is he?" Tracey asked him and he tensed slightly which she noticed.

"I'm not at liberty to say." Artorius told her. "I do this out of respect for the family that took him in. If they ever come here and if you really want to talk to them, I could arrange a meeting." He offered to her though it was also extended to the others.

Tracey shrugged though the idea did appeal to her, same with her husband.

"What happened to Titus?" Harry asked him. He had a feeling that the story was winding down so he wanted to hear how it ended.

"I killed him with the weapon that he had," Artorius sighed. "And when the duel was officially over, the other Lions tried to attack me."

"Key word being tried." Bertram added dryly. "Wilfred and I joined the fight and helped defeat them. We offered some of them the chance to walk away but they wanted to go down with ship." He turned to his cousin and best friend. "Did we leave anything out?"

"Apart from the fact that Nemeaus kept the weapon he got from Titus then no." Wilfred said. "Though for the life of me I can't understand why you did." He added to Artorius who shrugged and summoned his weapon. It was still the small staff with the clawed hand on one end but he added a brass ball on the other.

"I like it," Artorius murmured.

"I don't see the appeal," Bertram grunted. "Give me a sword or two any day." He summoned his original sword and the sword he won from Maximus.

"Swords and staves are all well and good but at the end of the day the best weapon you can have is already on your body," Wilfred said sagely as he held up his hands. "These can either save lives or take them," He continued. "Though in my case," His hands started to become metallic. "It's usually the latter."

"As nice as that is boys, I do believe that our guest wish to ask you questions." Claudius Nero told them and they turned to the other group who were waiting patiently for them to finish their conversation.

"Yes, well," Artorius muttered to himself before addressing the room at large. "I know who have questions but I actually have a few to ask all of you before we discuss things further." The British group once gain exchanged looks before nodding at him to continue. Artorius inhaled deeply before continuing. "How badly do all of you want to start over? If there was a way for all to change what's happened to each of you, would you take it?"

"Is this a hypothetical question?" Draco asked him.

"If you want it to be one then yes, let's go with that." Artorius knew that this next part would be tricky but he was going to press the point. Bertram and Wilfred knew this as well and they would have his back.

"Ok." Draco frowned in confusion which is what the others in his group did as well. "Let's say there was a way to do what you asked, how would it be done?"

"Tell me," Artorius began. "What do you know about time travel?"

* * *

**My internet is acting up so I'm sorry for not getting this up sooner but here it is. I don't know when the next chapter will be up but as always I will try to post it as soon as possible.**


	3. Meeting part Two

"Now I know you're taking the Mickey out of us." Astoria Malfoy muttered. Artorius had only just asked the question but most of the British group looked ready to write him off.

The Nero family, The American Branch of the Black family, and The White's had mixed feelings about this piece of news. The heads of each house knew about a secret project that their sons were engaging in but they didn't know what it involved. Their wives were staring at their sons in disbelief. They were starting to wonder if their sons were starting lose touch with reality. This was something that the boys noticed and they tried not to look offended.

"I agree with Astoria," Hermione started, bringing the attention to her. "Apart from time-turners, which have very limited range, there is no precise method of time travel."

"Normally you would be correct Lady Potter," Bertram began slowly. He didn't want to offend her but he was going to help his cousin. "But we have a method that is more advanced than any time-turner."

"Oh?" Hermione raised an eyebrow, an act that was mirrored by a good chunk of their group. "And what might that be?" She asked him. She couldn't think of anything at the moment and she was barely entertaining the idea of actual time travel but she was going to let them explain. She owed them that much at the very least. The others had similar thoughts.

Bertram turned to his cousin who nodded. Bertram then waved his hand and an hourglass about two feet high appeared at the center of the table. The outside frame was black and the handles were carved into four dragons. The glass was rounded and the inside contained tiny clear crystals instead of sand.

"This came into our possession when I purchased it at an auction five years back." Artorius explained while Bertram summoned his dog Patronus so he could send a message to his girlfriend, Maddie.

He had a crush on her when they were kids and held onto those feelings over the years. He didn't know that she had a crush on him as well. Both were afraid that the other would not want to be in that type of relationship. Last year, Bertram decided to ask her out. If she said no, they could still be friends. To his surprise and elation, she said yes. They've been dating ever since.

"Babe, stop by if you have the time," He murmured to his Patronus. "We started talking about the project. Bring Lucas with you if you can. Love you." He whispered that last part though a few people close to him, along with Teddy, heard him. They all smiled slightly.

"The Ministry had no idea what it was or what it could do but they recognized the symbols on the top there," Artorius nodded to the hourglass. "I'm sure you will as well."

Luna was the first to grab the hourglass to examine it. She peered at the top of it with a look that suggested that she already knew what was there but was pleased none the less. She handed the hourglass to Teddy who peered at it with interest before his eyes grew wide.

"No way." He breathed as he stared at a carving of four very familiar animals. There was a lion, a snake, an eagle, and a badger. The animals that the four founders of Hogwarts had used as symbols for their respective houses. They were close together like a close knit group of friends. It wasn't like the Hogwarts crest but it was a powerful image none the less.

Teddy handed the hourglass to Hermione next. She handed it to Harry, who gave it to Daphne, and it was passed on until everyone in the new group saw the carving. They all held the same reaction as Teddy except for Luna.

"Did this belong to one of the Founders?" Hermione asked hesitantly. "Or someone who admired them?" She had a feeling it was the former but she wanted to be sure. The others wanted an answer as well.

Artorius smiled and snapped his fingers. Four books appeared in front of him. One was bright red with gold lion on top. The one next to that was baby blue and it had a bronze eagle on the front. The book next to that one was yellow and it had a black badger on it. The last book was emerald green and it had a silver snake on it.

"Why don't you tell me Lady Potter?" He levitated the books to her and placed them in a neat pile in front of her. "I swear they're not hexed but you're more than welcome to check if you like Lord Potter-Black, you as well Lady Black." He added when he saw Hermione hesitate and Daphne and Harry tense up.

Harry hesitated again. He knew that they wouldn't be invited here to die otherwise they would have been attacked by now but he couldn't help but feel on edge when Artorius gave Hermione the books. Daphne saw her husband's struggle and took the situation out of his hands. She whipped out her wand and cast spells on the books to look for curses and found that there were none at all.

She nodded to Hermione who took the top book, which happened to be the red one, and opened it. Her eyes got bigger as she read the entries enclosed in the book.

_'Rowena and Salazar are going for each other's throat's yet again,_' one of the entries read. _'Why these two continue to argue like a married couple is beyond me. They should go to each other's bed to relieve the sexual tension! Magic knows that both of them could use a good lay!'_

Hermione couldn't stop a light blush from forming on her cheeks. She wasn't a prude by any means but she never thought that one of the founders of Hogwarts could be so blunt about sex. Especially when it came to the sex lives of his fellow founders.

"Judging from your blush," Artorius began with a small smile. "I'm guessing you just read Godric's blunt thoughts on the sexual tension between Rowena Ravevenclaw and Salazar Slytherin? And his suggestion that they deal with it together?"

Hermione just nodded mutely as the others in the British group, apart from Luna, gave the lion animagus incredulous looks. Salazar Slytherin and Rowena Ravenclaw, tense with sexual frustration and Godric Gryffindor suggested that…they help relieve each other of it? They couldn't help but feel dubious about these being the founders' personal books. Artorius noticed this and spoke up with his hands raised.

"I, Artorius Mathias Nero, swear it on my life and on my magic that these items I have shown to the people in this room are indeed items of the four founders of Hogwarts school of Witchcraft and Wizardry. So I say it, so mote it be!"

A light of magic pulsed through the room, signaling that the oath was accepted.

"As I am still alive," Artorius murmured before waving his hand to levitate the green book to Bertram. "And since I can do magic…" He trailed off with a shrug and looked at them expectantly as Bertram thumbed through the book his cousin gave him. He then began to read an entry though the British group tensed as they realized that he wasn't speaking English.

_'Godric, the man I love like my own brother, is really starting to grate my nerves,_' Bertram hissed in the language of Snakes. The Black family was distantly related to Salazar Slytherin as one of his descendants had married into the Black family. The house of Nero also had those who spoke the language though it had been quite sometime since a Parselmouth had been born to either family. At least, until Artorius, Tiberius, and Bertram were born.

Bertram's Father and Atorius' mother were slightly surprised as they never expected them to have the gift. They both thought the gift was lost, and their spouses thought the same thing. It didn't stop them from loving their kids any less though.

_'He feels that I should bed Rowena and dares to insinuate that we like each other,_' Bertram continued in the same language though only a few people understood what he was saying. Artorius was one, Wilfred was another because the boys had come up with a spell that could help translate Parseltongue for those who didn't speak it, and the last was Harry.

Harry had lied to the publishers of the series based on his life when he said that he couldn't talk to snakes anymore because he didn't want to be bothered about it. It proved to be pointless anyway because he got bothered by even more people when the books came out. It got worse when the films were made. '_Which is a preposterous idea because the woman is insufferable beyond comprehension. I don't claim to be the most loved person in this group but I know I am a lot more likeable than her!'_

Bertram stopped reading and closed the book before setting it down. He looked at the new group before him and fought the urge to scowl at the wide eye looks most were sporting. True, in the United Kingdom, this would be an almost standard reaction along with revulsion but that didn't mean he had to like it.

"Yes, I speak the language of snakes," He said evenly. The British group noticed that this even tone held a slight edge to it. Bertram's mother shot him a warning look which he ignored. "Yes, I know that this ability does not have the best reputation back in the UK, but out here some of the best wizards are parselmouths and they are not evil. One of them, Hector Longshadow, is one of my dearest friends and a damn good man. Besides," He locked gazes with Harry. "Considering that one of you can speak to snakes and fought against those who would subjugate people they thought were inferior to them, I don't see why all of you are so worked up."

The group bristled as one and felt slightly ashamed about their reactions. Harry was staring at Bertram, wondering how he knew his secret.

"If I wanted to hide the fact that I had something that was not socially acceptable," Bertram said, meeting Harry's gaze. "And if I had a way to make people stop asking about it, I'd take it. Well, that is if I cared about what other people said about me." Harry made a face but Bertram continued.

"You had qualities that fit all four houses," He added. "You're brave, you're smart, you're loyal and you're cunning. One of you're wives was a Slytherin and your other wife is the smartest witch of her age. Even if you didn't come up with the idea to hide the fact that you still retain the ability, I'm sure one of them did."

"Perhaps they did." Harry told him. "Or perhaps I don't have the gift anymore."

"Perhaps you don't." Bertram nodded though from his tone of voice he made it clear that he didn't buy it. "Or perhaps you think I am an idiot who didn't notice that when you tensed up it wasn't in fear or revulsion, but recognition and surprise. If you didn't want to talk about it then I can respect that, but don't treat me like a fool. You will find that I am anything but foolish…Lord Potter-Black." He finished a soft voice and with a slight incline of his head. Harry blinked at him during the entire thing.

Bertram's mother glared at him through out his conversation with Harry. She could understand where her son was coming from but he didn't need to be so rude about it. Other people had similar thoughts and one of them spoke up.

"I do not appreciate the tone that you just used with my husband," Daphne Black said with no small amount of malice in her voice. Hermione and Teddy nodded in agreement along with Neville and his family. Daphne narrowed her eyes at Bertram who met her gaze unflinchingly. "I doubt that his titles will mean much here but he should still be respected as a person."

"I meant no disrespect Lady Black," Bertram told her honestly. She sensed he was being truthful and her gaze softened slightly. "In fact, I admire and respect you all. That being said, I do not like to have my intelligence insulted because someone wants to avoid the subject by lamely denying it when they could ask for the subject to be dropped. Or even meet it head on." Daphne's gaze hardened slightly but she didn't comment. Bertram noticed and continued. "Again no disrespect was intended but I did not graduate at the top of my class at the Salem Academy of Magic to be slighted."

"I didn't mean it that way," Harry said before anyone else could speak on his behalf. "I just didn't want to talk about it. I am sorry if I offended you."

Daphne quirked an eyebrow at her husband but didn't say anything. Draco rolled his eyes thinking it was typical for Harry to apologize even though he wasn't at fault. Hermione and Neville were thinking the same thing.

Bertram inclined his head towards Harry.

"No apology was necessary but thank you anyway." Harry nodded at him. "I apologize if I offended you in anyway." He said but Harry waved him off.

"No offense taken." Harry told him.

There was a knock on the door that stopped anyone from commenting further.

"Come in." Artorius murmured and the door opened. A woman with long brown hair and black eyes stepped into the room. She was of average height. She was wearing black jeans, black heels, with a white sundress and a black leather jacket.

Behind her was a man with reddish brown hair and pale blue eyes. He was wearing a black collared shirt and black slacks with black sneakers. He was over six feet tall and well muscled. His forearms were tattooed with what looked like circuit board symbols.

"Allow me introduce our mind healer and mortician, Madeline Flanery." Artorius gestured to the woman who smiled and waved. Bertram perked up when she first entered the room and perked up even more when she locked gazes with him.

"You can call me Maddie." She said to the British group before turning to greet the Nero's and the Blacks. She sat down next to Bertram and kissed him on the cheek. She turned her attention to her boss when he started speaking.

"This is our Runes master and resident Technomancer, Lucas DeLarge." He gestured to the man who nodded politely before taking a seat at the edge of the group.

"Please, call me Luke." He said to them before turning to Artorius. "How far along are ya into da presentation den boss man?" He asked. His voice was light but there was a hint of a Cajun accent there though it was only a hint.

"We just gave them a look at some of the journals from the four founders." Artorius replied.

"So you're not dat far in den." Lucas nodded while Hermione said, "Some?"

"No, we're not that far in." Artorius nodded to Lucas before turning to Hermione. "We have hundreds of journals in our possession ma'am. These," He pointed to the journals on the table. "Are only a sample and we continue to find more." He and a few people smiled when Hermione's eye's lit up. Artorius stopped smiling and adopted a serious expression. "I understand that all of you still have reservations but please hear me out." He pleaded. The British group, apart from Luna, shifted uncomfortably before nodding their heads.

"This device, this wonderful device." He waved to the hourglass. "Was created for the sole purpose of time travel. In it's basic form, it's just a really big time-turner. However, instead of only going back for so many hours, you could go back months if you wanted to." He paused for a second before adding, "The longest we've gone back is close to a year."

Barely a second went by before Artorius was hoisted out of his chair by his collar. His black eyes met another pair of black eyes. The difference between the two was that one was calm and the other was furious.

"You and your brothers have used this device." Claudius Nero hissed at his son. It wasn't a demand or a question but merely a statement. The British group shrank back from the glare that he was projecting and the venom in his voice. They come to realize that they were looking at the head of house Nero and not just some random person. They then glanced at Artorius and frowned at the calm look that he was sporting. They couldn't understand how he was so calm right now.

"Yes, we have used this to device to go back." Artorius replied and his father tightened his grip on his collar.

"You have been playing with powers beyond your comprehension," Claudius hissed at his son again. His wife was trying to calm him down while Wilfred's dad and Bertram's dad stood out of their chairs, and stalked over to their sons. As their wives trailed behind them, their sons stood up and regarded their fathers calmly. "You need a license from the Ministry to use time-turners or magical items that manipulate time," Claudius continued, ignoring his wife and her attempts to calm him down. "And you are only permitted to go back about 24 hours not an entire year! Do you know how much damage you could do to the time line? To reality if you had messed something up?"

"Only if we change what shouldn't be changed." Artorius told him. "We didn't change anything during our test runs."

"We merely recorded what happened when we went back, how we felt when we went back, and the difference between how long we went back for and how much time had passed in the present." Bertram added before someone could comment on the fact that his cousin had used a plural instead of a singular. His father eyed him in disbelief, along with his mother. Bertram smiled reassuringly at his parents.

"Our excursions never gave us any physical or mental damage and the timeline remained intact due to our inactivity." Wilfred summed up. "You can ask Maddie here or any of the other healers we visited if you don't believe this." He waved his hand and three medical folders appeared on the table. Each folder had a different name on it but all of them had the Lyon's den infirmary stamp on each one. "We're not stupid you know," He told his parents. "We know that there are risks but-"

"There is no but." His father all but growled at him. "You know that there were risks yet you did it anyway!"

"And we will continue to do so." Wilfred told him.

"Like hell you will!" His father snarled.

"I am not a child anymore," Wilfred began calmly. He was trying to calm his father down and steer this conversation back to where it should be.

"No but you are _my_ child," His mother snapped at him. She abandoned trying to calm her husband down and instead decided to help him talk some sense into their son. "And I will not have you do something this dangerous!"

"The only way you can stop me is if you used the White family magic to prevent me from doing anything." Wilfred told his father firmly as he stepped away from his parents.

"Same goes for me." Bertram said as he went over to Wilfred.

"And me." Artorius finished as he pried his father's hands away from him and walked over to his pride.

Their parents saw the determined look in their son's eye's and tried hard not to sigh. They were not giving up any time soon but they knew their children could be stubborn, even more so if they had the support of each other.

The British group had remained silent during the entire exchange. They did not want to interrupt what could have been a major family argument though some of them did wonder why this conversation had not taken place prior to this meeting. They then thought it over and figured that the boys must have decided to do it now as their parents wouldn't do anything too drastic in front of their guests.

"Do you think I don't remember?" Artorius asked his parents, causing them to frown at the sudden question.

"Remember what?" His mother asked back.

"The fact that you and uncle Cass would cry every time it was aunt Andi's birthday," He replied and his mother and uncle tensed up along with several other people including Narcissa, and Teddy.

"Same with aunt Bella's birthday and aunt Cissy's birthday." Bertram added and the tension began to build even more. "You think we don't remember you and aunt Tavia sobbing on those days and trying to cover it up with forced smiles?"

"You have no idea how useless Bertram and I felt when we saw you two like that," Artorius said before they could comment. His face was pained and his voice broke in some places. "You have no idea how much it hurt to see you two like that and have no way of making you feel better." It took all of the Occulmency training that Bertram and Artorius had to keep themselves in control and not break down as the broken forms of their parents flashed through their minds. It was a horrible sight for them to view when they were children.

Octavia Nero was openly crying while her brother was stood frozen in his place with tears in his eyes. They never knew how affected their boys were when they found them like that. During the birthdays of their siblings, they had gathered to celebrate them though it was always very morbid as opposed to celebratory.

They always tried to hide away from their kids during those days as they didn't want them to see them like that. There were a few times where their kids did find them like that but they always smiled and told them everything was fine. Not that their kids believed it.

Over the years it got easier to deal with the fact that they may never see their sisters again. It still hurt but they got used to it though the influx of information from their sources in the UK helped them both move on and hurt them. They were devastated to hear what happened to Bellatrix. They would never claim that she was entirely innocent but they still couldn't believe that she ended up in Azkaban. They also couldn't believe that she ended up serving someone else. The Bellatrix they knew bowed to no one especially someone who tortured their own followers.

They guessed that it had something to do with her marriage to Rudolphus Lestrange. The only way that Bella would ever do something like that was if she was influenced by an outside source. Bella was always very outspoken and they wouldn't put it passed their parents to try and break her even if it meant that something extreme had to happen.

When they checked the family tree after Bertram was born and when they learned how to add all of their relatives to it, they saw that Bellatrix had a son named Julius Octavian Lestrange. He was born on December 31st 1980 and he passed away on the same day. They didn't know the circumstances of his death and they couldn't begin to imagine how their sister must have felt.

Cassius and Octavia were happy that Andromeda seemed to be leading a happy life with her husband Ted. They would have loved to have met her daughter Nymphadora and ask their sister why she felt the need to give her daughter that name. They had met Ted when they were in school and he was very polite to them.

They felt bad that Narcissa was reduced to nothing more than a trophy wife. What's worse was that their parents had let it happen. The only reason that Narcissa had to marry Lucius was because aunt Cedrella refused to marry Abraxas Malfoy and married Septimus Weasley instead. A decision that lead to her being cast out of the family despite her marrying a pureblooded wizard. It also left an outstanding marriage contract between the noble house of Black and the minor house of Malfoy.

The contract was done to settle some debts between the two houses. The Blacks only had a few debts to settle with house Malfoy which they did eventually but the Malfoy's had massive debts to settle. The Blacks decided to give them some leeway by offering the chance of an alliance by marriage between the two houses. The conditions were that the Blacks would 'forgive' the outstanding debts as long as they followed the guidelines of the contract. Some included the standard clauses like producing a male heir that could inherit the Black title.

There were also smaller clauses one of which stated that if no heir was produced, and if Lord Black found that the husband had failed to treat the daughter of a noble house properly, or if Lord Black felt that the husband had offended or done something against the house of Black, he had the option to annul the marriage.

As Orion Black had no problem with Lucius or the Malfoy family apart from Abraxas, he wasn't going to annul it as long as Narcissa was treated right. He never got to investigate that as he passed away and was followed by his son Regulus. Walburga, his wife, couldn't do anything because only a male heir could become lord and make the decisions.

Sirius could have done it had he not been a wanted fugitive. Octavia and Cassius didn't believe that Sirius would betray the Potter family. He and James Potter were thick as thieves and brothers in all but name. They weren't sure about him not killing Pettigrew or the muggles. They knew that he didn't despise muggles but they figured that maybe he was so distraught and he wasn't thinking straight.

They had been horrified when they found out that he was framed and that he spent 12 years in Azkaban as an innocent man. They were even more horrified when their sister had helped him into an early grave by stunning him while he was in front of the Veil of Death, causing him to fall through it. They cried when she was killed but they had made peace with the fact that the she had changed and not for the better.

Octavia walked over to her eldest child and pulled him into a hug which he returned without hesitation. Cassius did the same with Bertram.

"I'm sorry you felt that way," Octavia said as she buried her face into her son's chest. "But what does this have to do with all the traveling you've been doing?" Her question was muffled but Artorius understood her as if she was speaking clearly.

"We want to go back and make sure that second wizarding war involving Tom Riddle and his followers never happened." He declared and his mother tensed in his arms. The British group had turned to him with blank expressions.

"You can't be serious." His father whispered though his voice carried across the room.

"I'm very serious." Artorius said quietly. The only form of aggression that he showed was the slight narrowing of his eyes. Something, that didn't go unnoticed, "Not only am I serious but I know that it will work."

"But how do you know?" His mother leaned away from him and looked up at him with a frown. "You said that the farthest you've gone back is close to a year."

"Dat was jus using da hourglass by itself." Lucas spoke up from his seat making everyone turn to him. He grinned a little and continued. "When ya add a great amount of power from an outside power source, you can go back decades if you wanted to."

He stood up and pulled a small red cube out of his pocket. He tapped a small symbol on it before tossing it onto the table. At first nothing happened until the cube started to move on it's own. It wobbled until it was on one of it's point's and it began to spin. It spun faster than before and bright light shot out of the point that was facing up.

A hologram of a large set up involving an arc like structure appeared in thin air.

"Sorry." Lucas said when a few people jumped. "Didn't mean to scare ya."

"What is that?" Harry asked as he stood up to get a closer look at the image. Several others did the same thing.

"Da Transporter." Lucas replied. When Harry raised an eyebrow he shrugged. "Not da most original name I give you dat but it does what it's supposed to do; transport things through time and space." He waved his hand and the image zoomed to a piece of equipment that had a crank on it and two circular panels that were attached to a large gear and were parallel to each other. "This is where we place da hourglass." He explained. "Da crank turns da gear, and thus turns da hourglass over, causing da crystals to fall.

"Normally, one would do this manually and say da incantation, Tempus Maximus, and time would start to go back slowly and speed up until you reached your destination. Before, one had to think about da exact day, da exact year, and da exact time dat they had wanted to go to, right down to da last second. Now however," He waved his hand again and a computer with Victorian style keys was the focus of the hologram. "With dis computer, one could enter the date that they want without having to worry about anything. Yes Lady Potter?" He said to Hermione who shyly raised her hand.

"Please call me Hermione," She murmured. She was felling more comfortable with this subject and she didn't think that the formality was necessary anymore. "And I have a question. I have several actually but I'll hold onto the rest for now." Lucas nodded for her to continue. "How do you know all of this?" Lucas chuckled slightly before he answered.

"I know all of dis because I've read all of da books that da founders wrote," He began. "At least da ones we've found. And dis machine is my design. I've built it with my own two hands and a good chunk of Arthur's money." He grinned wickedly at Artorius who rolled his eyes. "I know da in's and outs of da Transporter like da back of my own hand."

"I know very little about Technomancy," Hermione started. "I believe the basics involve combining technology and magic through customized Runes or symbols much like your tattoos." Lucas nodded so she continued. "How are you able to power all of this?"

Lucas waved his hand again and the image changed to a cylinder like machine which had both ends spinning quickly.

"Through dis." Lucas said. "I call it a pipette because it sort of acts like a pipette in da way dat it transfers energy to something else, much like a pipette with nearly any liquid."

"It doesn't appear to be plugged into anything." Hermione commented. Those who had no idea about technology were having a very difficult time following what was going on but they were waiting for Hermione to keep going. There was a good chance that she would ask the questions that they wanted to ask.

"It's not." Lucas nodded to Hermione. "And dat's because of dis." The hologram changed to include a smaller version of the pipette which was lodged into a generator like machine. "Each device has a special rune dat I created with my mentor, Rune master Hammer, which transfers power from one source to another without them having to be connected. Hell they don't have to be in the same room or in the same building. As long as both items have da rune and as long as both of them are on, it doesn't matter."

"Is there a limit to how much power can be transferred?" Hermione asked and Lucas shrugged.

"We've never had a reason to put a limit on how much could be transferred," He explained. "Mostly because we've never exceeded any amount that could be measured by an outside party, so no one ever would find us or try to find us. Not dat they could because of all da enchantments we've placed on da machine."

"Then how is it powered and where do you get the energy to power it?" This time it was Daphne who asked a question. "I mean you can just pull energy out of nothing. Or can you?" She added when she saw Lucas smirking.

"Dat Lady Black," He began. "Is exactly what we do. Well, not exactly like dat. See, you can't just create energy from nothing but you can take it by using da same method dat we use to transfer it from another source, or several." He said that last part quietly though they all heard him.

"The only way you could get enough power was if you took it from the grid that powers the entire island of Manhattan." Hermione said slowly.

"Or several." Lucas murmured.

"Yes, or several." Hermione nodded absently before she registered what he said. The others, apart from those involved in the project and Luna, stared at him. Some because they were waiting for him to explain, others because they couldn't believe what they were hearing. "You mean to tell me that you actually draw energy from the power grid that powers the island of Manhattan?" Hermione asked incredulously. "How do manage that?"

"I would like to know that as well." Claudius Nero said before he narrowed his eyes at his son.

"How we managed for it to go unnoticed, or how we got away with it in da first place?" Lucas asked.

"Both." Hermione and Claudius said at the same time. One was soft and enquiring; the other was harsh and demanding.

"We were able to pull it off, because of the Unusuals." Lucas replied. Hermione frowned and Claudius jerked back as if he were struck.

"The Unusual's?" Hermione asked. Instead of Lucas answering, Claudius did.

"When the American Ministry was first founded not too long after the Revolutionary war, the first department they made was the Unusual's." He said. "They're sort of like the Unspeakables you have back in the UK. Very secretive but very important to the magical community. To have their and permission is to have the entire support of the Minister and Ministry itself. If you have their permission and backing…" He trailed off with a look towards his son who nodded.

"We do," Artorius murmured. "We had to; otherwise they would have shut us down before we could even begin."

"What are they getting out of this?" Cassius Black demanded of his nephew.

"Can't say dad," Bertram told him. "We all took oaths to not reveal anything about their involvement."

Cassius Black growled under his breath along with Wilfred Whit Sr. and Claudius Nero.

"It's standard procedure dad." Wilfred muttered to his father.

"We know," His father gnashed his teeth together in annoyance. "But we know what those kinds of oaths entail and we don't like that you three had to take it. And don't give me that crap about you being adults. You are still our children and we will always look out for you."

Bertram, Artorius, and Wilfred sighed in exasperation but nodded their heads in acceptance. They knew that their families would always look out for them but they could take care of themselves.

"So you have their permission," Claudius said with a sigh.

"We do." Those involved with the project said.

"And you have access to the power grid of Manhattan." Claudius continued. "Along with an unspecified amount of power grids."

"Yes."

"I take it that you have also used the Transporter was it?" Claudius asked Lucas who nodded once. "That you have used it to go back more than a year in to the past?"

"That is correct." Artorius said.

"How far are we talking about?" Cassius asked this time. Artorius summoned his weapon and held the end with the ball towards his father.

"Remember this dad?" He asked his father who peered at it.

"Ah yes I thought it looked familiar," Claudius commented. "I didn't realize you still had it after all this time."

"This bronze ball has been in my possession since I was six years old." Artorius told the room at large. "I found it inside of the wards that surround my family home. The problem was that it didn't belong to any of us or our friends. Which means that it was left by someone who got into the wards unnoticed, but didn't want to harm anyone."

"Either you have terrible wards, which seems unlikely." Blaise said, speaking up for the first time in a while. He added that last part quickly when Artorius, Claudius and Lucretia raised their eyebrows at him. "Your friends lied to you, which again seems unlikely." The aforementioned people had narrowed their eyes along with the American branch of the Black family and the White family so he added that part in there. "Or a member of your family simply forgot about it."

"You're partially right on that part. It was a family member," Artorius murmured. "An immediate family member just not one from that time."

"Who was it?" His mother asked hesitantly. His father had raised an eyebrow at his wording.

"It was me." He replied and everyone apart from those who worked on the project stared at him. Some with blank looks and others with wide, disbelieving eyes. Luna merely smiled knowingly.

"What do you mean it was you?" His father demanded.

"I mean I am the one who left this on the grounds," Artorius said slowly as he gestured to the brass ball. "I went back in time and left this there. You do remember where I found this right?" He asked his family who nodded slowly. He turned to the British group. "I found this ball in a hiding place that Wilfred, Bertram, and myself used to hide our trinkets. Only we knew about it until I had to show it to our parents to make sure this wasn't cursed."

He paused for a moment before speaking again.

"What I didn't tell anyone was that there was a note inside of it," He murmured, ignoring the shocked looks that his mother and father gave him. While he never told them everything, he was never one to be so secretive about something. Artorius slipped a hand into his pocket before pulling it out. He had an aged piece of paper that was folded up. He unfolded it and read it out loud.

Artorius,

Do not let anyone, not even Mecha or Mustang see this note. This is for you and you alone. I can't explain everything but remember these words:

Transporter

Hourglass

Founders

Unusual's

Tempus Maximus

You will find out later on in life that the last phrase will be vitally important. I apologize for the vagueness of this note but you have to trust me when I say that everything will make sense in time.

Signed, A friend.

"I wrote this note though I didn't know it when I got it." He murmured after reading the note.

"I still can't believe that 'A friend' was the best that you could come up with." Bertram murmured.

"And as I said before, if you have something better then please share it." Artorius shot back and Bertram remained silent. "I thought so." Artorius muttered to himself before speaking up. "I've had this note for nineteen years and its contents only started to make sense over five years ago when I bought that." He pointed to the hourglass. "It was very frustrating for a long time because I didn't tell anyone and I didn't where to look for answers. It was also frustrating because of where this paper came from and what was written in the beginning."

"What do you mean?" Hannah Longbottom inquired. She had been silent through out the entire meeting because she, like her husband, felt that this meeting was between Harry's family and their cousin's. She was finding this conversation very interesting.

"What I mean is that this piece of paper came from a journal that I wrote in as a child," Artorius explained. "My uncle gave it to me for my birthday and it's charmed so that only I can open it. Our nicknames were things that we gave each other, they were only talked about between us and we didn't tell anyone else.

"This lead me too many theories but none of them made sense so I kept this to the back of my mind and did research on certain things when I could though I didn't get much. And since the event already happened I knew it was possible to go back and not have anything bad happen so I did it." He finished with a shrug.

His mother and father just shook their heads. They remembered that day very well and they were worried that someone had gotten passed the wards to hurt them. Now they learned that it was their son who had come back from the future to give himself a note. They didn't really know how to feel about that.

"I could give you my memory or an oath if you still don't believe it's possible." Artorius offered after they had lapsed into silence. Those not involved with the project just shook their heads at the offer. They felt that it wasn't necessary even though they still couldn't help but have reservations about the whole thing.

"How did you get the ball and why did you keep it?" Draco asked him.

"I got it from one of Luke's unfinished projects," Artorius answered. "It was just lying there next to a bunch of other brass objects just like it. I asked Luke if I could have it and he said I could because he didn't need it as he had more in stock." Lucas nodded when people looked at him to confirm what his boss was saying. "I kept it because I hoped that maybe I could identify it and find out who sent it to me. Later on I added it to this." He held up his weapon. "I guess I felt that if I did it would make this weapon my own as opposed to something I won." He shrugged and took his seat.

Those who were standing followed suit.

"You really went back." Octavia commented and Artorius nodded.

"Apart from what happened when I was six, I haven't done anything else for all the times that I've gone back." He said.

"What about you Bertram," Lucretia asked her son. "Have you gone back as far as Artorius?"

"I have," Bertram nodded. "I only observed, I didn't do anything else but that."

"I've gone back as well." Wilfred told his family, anticipating that they would ask next. "I've gone by myself and we," He gestured to Bertram and Artorius. "Have gone as a group."

"We've been checked by all sorts of healers after every journey," Artorius told them as he picked up his file from the table. "This contains every check up I've had since using the Transporter or the hourglass. I was cleared by each healer that I went to." He handed the file to his parents. "So did these two." He passed Wilfred's file to his parents and Bertram's to his uncle. "We went to healers to see if there were any effects from our travels." He explained to everyone who didn't know. "We didn't know if we would bring anything back with us from the past or to the past so we had check ups before we left and when we came back.

"The healers cleared us so we continued with what we were doing. So far, nothing bad's happened."

"This is all well and good," Tracey said. "But how would we even be able to help you? Or how will this help us? Wouldn't it be bad if we went back and messed things up?"

"How much more messed up could things get?" Astoria asked her with a raised eyebrow. "Apart from us kissing the robes of maniac who destroyed a lot of families in the first war he raged and almost destroyed our way of life with the second, I'm not sure if it could be any worse than what we're dealing with.

"Our entire society is gone. Many people have scattered to other countries that barely tolerated our existence or stayed behind to die like dogs. Too many people died in this last war and we have a chance to save them.

"I know that many things could go wrong with this plan but we have a chance, and I think we should take it." She finished hotly. She was thinking about all of her friends who were killed in the battle of Hogwarts and the ones who stayed behind after everything was getting worse. She knew that if they could save as many people as they could, and maybe get more people out if they couldn't save wizarding Britain, it would be worth it.

"You don't have to decide now." Artorius interrupted before any more people could speak. "Take your time to decide what you want to do. This is a big decision that you should not make hastily."

"Are you still going through with this even if we decide not to go with you?" Harry asked him. He was having a hard time trying to decide what to think. Part of him didn't know much about time travel apart from his experience with a time turner so he didn't really want to go into this without knowing for sure that it would work. However, there was a part of him that wanted to jump at the chance to see Padfoot, Mooney, Tonks and many other people one more time and maybe even make sure that they lived this time around.

"Yes," Bertram, Artorius, Wilfred said, much to their parent's disappointment.

"We have many plans in place and if you decide not to go, we would go with a more subtle approach." Artorius murmured. "One of which that includes clues, notes, and us finding all the soul anchors that Tom Riddle had. With a few exceptions of course though we have plans for those as well." He added with a look towards Harry, "Look, we've given you all a lot to think about and if you want to know more please feel free to ask but perhaps we should take a break." He peered down at his watch. "It's a little after three," He murmured. "Anyone up for a late lunch?"

He wanted everyone to relax now and just really think about what was discussed. He didn't want them to make any drastic choices and he had a feeling that he would still have to talk to his family. He also had to prepare for the arrival of Thomas and his family. They would have been there already but they decided to come later on after they discovered that they would be having guest.

"I could eat." Bertram said and many other people nodded in agreement. "Some Irish turkey sounds good right about now. I could go make a run if you want?" He said to his cousin who shrugged.

"Sure, why not?" Artorius said and people began to place their orders.

* * *

My apologies for posting this late but like I said before my internet was acting up. It's better now so I don't think I will be posting things late again. Unless of course I get writers block or something.

To nachtdemon; I suppose you're right at least in regard for those who have read the HP series. I wrote that for those who haven't read the series.

To M-Bianca94; Thank you for all the follows! How did you find my stories if you don't mind my asking?


	4. The Wolves Descend

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own Harry Potter or Twilight or their charcters. They rightfully belong to their respective authors, J.K. Rowling and Stephanie Meyer and their publishers. I do own the original characters (Like Thomas Matthews for example) and the plot though, admittedly, the idea of time travel involving the HP gang is hardly original.**

**I do not own the song used in this chapter but I do hope you enjoy it's inclusion.**

* * *

**JUNE 26th 2012**

**11:22 AM**

Thomas Matthews and his family walked the streets of New York. He was holding his daughter, Minerva, who was looking at everything with wide eyed fascination.

"Like what you see my little angel?" He asked her and she nodded her head quickly, her strawberry blonde waves bouncing with each nod.

"Oh yes," She said excitedly. "Everything is so…so…busy!"

"I know." Thomas nodded as he navigated through the crowd of people with his wife, Tanya, his two boys', Tristan and Erik, and their imprints, Aphrodite and Angela, right beside him. His pack brother Embry was holding his daughter, Sasha's, hand while his fiancé was holding their son, David, in her arms, were close behind them. Poseidon, his daughters imprint, was also with them.

Thomas' best friends and one set of godparents to his oldest children, Jasper Hale and his mate Alice Cullen, were close by as well as the other set of godparents, Garrett Denali and his mate Kate Denali. Eleazar Denali and his mate Carmen Denali, Benjamin Denali and his mate Tia Denali, were amongst the last of the group along with the rattlesnake shifters and magic users, Casey, Marko, his brother Oz with his imprint, Maysun, Amanda, one of Casey's sisters, and her imprint, a vampire named Fred.

They were a crowd in their own right but they didn't really care. Nor did they care about some of the looks they were getting. They weren't looks of disgust or anything negative but rather longing looks or of barely restrained lust. The adults knew that they would always get those stares because of their beauty but that didn't mean that they liked it. Jasper was having a very difficult time dealing with all the stares his mate was getting.

It also didn't help that with his empathic abilities he could feel the lust coming off of several people. He knew that some of those feelings were directed towards him but he didn't care. He was more focused on the feelings that were directed towards Alice. His inner warrior, the Major as his brother liked to call it, was itching to fight those who would dare to lust after his Alice.

There were many things that were keeping him in check however. One was that he didn't want to disappoint Alice. He knew that she would say that she wasn't, and she would genuinely feel that way, but he couldn't help feeling that he let her down when he felt the urge to bite a human.

Another reason keeping him in check was the children. He didn't want to frighten them especially his god children. He would never forgive himself if lost control around any of them.

When they first arrived in New York, Jasper felt a little overwhelmed at the amount of people that were near them but his mate and his best friend had reassured him that nothing would happen. He knew that while they could see the future, the future could change at the drop of a hat. But he reminded himself that they would never let him do anything that he would regret.

Alice, sensing her mate's mood, squeezed his hand in reassurance and offered him a bright smile. He gave her a small almost non existent one in return.

"Why didn't we just Portkey into the building like last time?" Embry Call whined to his cousin and pack brother. "It would have been so much easier."

"I already told you Levitas," Thomas replied, exasperation dripping in every word. "We couldn't do it because not everyone in this group is allowed to enter the wards to the upper floors of the plaza. While there aren't that many wards in the lobby, they do have a massive amount security and it would not be a pleasant experience for either party," _More so for the security guards_ he added silently to himself before he continued, "Not to mention that they have guest who are just starting to settle in here. It would be rude and disruptive to just pop in."

"It still would have been better than having to put up with these bast-"Embry began angrily only to be cut off by his mate.

"Embry!" Irina Denali hissed at him "Not in front of the kids!"

"We already know quiet a few curse words mama," Sasha told her quietly. Though her voice was quiet so no one else could hear her, Irina heard her perfectly. "Sure we heard a good chunk from the packs," Sasha continued with Tristan, Erik, Minerva, and David nodding slightly, agreeing with what she said. "We also heard some good ones from daddy and uncle T.J." Embry looked down at his daughter with an expression that suggested that she just committed a deep betrayal. Thomas rolled his eyes at Embry for his theatrics but smiled at his niece as he knew that she meant no offense and was just making a point. Their mates were giving them dirty looks but turned back to Sasha as she started to speak again.

"But we heard the worst and most from you, Auntie Tanya, and Auntie Kate." She said. Tanya, Irina, Kate quirked indignant eyebrows at her. "It's true!" Sasha insisted.

"She's got a point you know," Thomas told his mate and her sisters. Tanya raised both her eyebrows at him in question. Irina gave him a narrowed eye gaze while Kate scowled at him, some what good naturedly. The others glanced at him, waiting for him to try and justify what he said. "You are just as bad as I am when you curse babe." He told Tanya. "Especially when you get very angry. You too Irina." He added to his sister in law. "And good lord Kate when you're on a roll you could make sailors around the world blush with that mouth of yours." Kate smirked at him when he said that.

"I've had lots of practice." She grinned at him.

"I think that was an understatement if I ever heard one," Thomas murmured with a matching grin of his own before he pressed on. "I know it's not good for Embry and I to swear in front the kids," Embry made a small noise of protest but Thomas ignored him. "However, just because you three say swear words in separate languages does not make you're exempt from any criticism." He told them gently. "Especially since the kids are learning to speak them."

Tanya sighed loudly but nodded her head in understanding. Irina made a face but nodded grudgingly. Kate just shrugged at him. She wasn't going to change anytime soon but she would try to hold back if it was really bothering them.

Embry gave his pack brother a grin before sighing tiredly.

"That's all well and good, but I still think it would have been better than being gawked at by all these morons." He muttered disdainfully as he glared at a man who leered at his mate. The man didn't hear Embry growl but he did see the look on Embry's face. The man averted his gaze and walked away quickly.

"I agree with daddy," David Call said softly, the corners of his little mouth curled into a light sneer at the sight of people staring at his family. "They should mind their own business." He growled low in his throat when he saw more men making eyes at his mother. To the outside world they saw a baby making a slightly funny face and moving his mouth but if they really looked closely, they would see a very angry wolf shifter vampire hybrid.

"It's ok David." Irina bounced her son in her arms to calm him down. "I only have eyes for your father and there is nothing they can do about it."

"They can avert their eyes." David grumbled before cuddling into his mother. Irina and a few people chuckled at his protectiveness.

"Good call on the weather you two," Garrett told Alice and Thomas as he peered at the cloudy sky. "When is it going to rain?"

"In an hour or so," Alice and Thomas announced in unison.

"It's a good thing I wore this coat," Thomas murmured. "Other wise it might have looked suspect."

Thomas was wearing a long black coat that went to his knees with black pants, a black shirt and black converse high tops. His coat was based on the clothes that the Romanian had. Ancient looking designs were stitched into the fabric along with a design of the Dacian Draco, the symbol of the Dacian Empire.

Thomas had this coat tailored for him after he inherited the Canis-Draconis fortune, titles, lands, properties etc. along with whatever else his friends left him last year. He wanted refuse but there was no legal way out of it and he didn't want to disrespect the memory of his friends. He had barely touched the money he had gotten from them and what he did touch had gone to several charities or was used for the up keep for all the properties that he owned.

"You look like someone out of the Matrix," Embry commented. "I've been waiting for agent Smith to arrive and for Morpheus to offer us red and blue pills." He grinned at Thomas who rolled his eyes at him. Thomas opened his mouth to retort but snapped it shut when his eyes glazed over, and he began to see a vision.

"Guide me," Tristan murmured to his imprint as he grasped her hand. She frowned at him but nodded and helped him walk as he used his gift to enter his fathers mind to see what he was watching.

"Tanya, guide Thomas." Alice said to the strawberry blonde leader of the Alaskan coven. Tanya frowned slightly but grasped her mate's elbow and helped him walk while he watched a vision play before his eyes.

He saw a group of people on the roof of a run down building that had the Lyon's Den Plaza in its sights. There were 15 people on the roof. There were eight vampires, and seven humans, two of which were wearing hooded cloaks. Their cloaks were ash like in color with a charcoal crescent moon that had an arrow in the center of it over their hearts. They were wearing black gloves that covered half of their forearms. They were wearing grey pants and black combat boots.

One of them appeared to be watching something though it was hard to tell because his face was covered. He had a tomahawk strapped to his belt on his left hip and a sword strapped to his back. He was taller that the other but not by much.

The other cloaked individual had quiver filled with grey and black arrows and was placing three diamond shaped gems into a three foot scepter that had a blade that was carved into a bird's beak. One part of the blade was sixteen inches long and curved down at the tip. The other part was roughly fourteen inches long and curved upwards at the tip.

The scepter itself was bronze in color. The part that met the blade was curved slightly. The end of it resembled the butt of a rifle and it had very ancient designs through out the entire thing.

After he placed the last gem into its slot, the cloaked individual held it to his companion before grabbing his bow that was on the ledge of the building.

"Its all yours my brother." He said to the other cloaked figure. His voice was soft and he had an Italian accent.

"Let us savor this moment brother dearest," His brother replied. His voice was just as soft but there was a slight edge to his words as he continued, "It has been over 20 years since the fall of our house and now we have a chance to ruin those who destroyed our father." He turned back to look at the Plaza. "We will start with their children, and work our way up."

He grasped the scepter from his brother and aimed it towards the Plaza. He waited a few moments before taking a deep breath.

He tightened his grip and growled low in his throat. The scepter began to glow bright gold before a golden ball of energy shot towards the Plaza. The cloaked figure shot more blasts of energy from the scepter. One followed right behind the first blast that went towards the Plaza but the others were headed towards the surrounding buildings.

Thomas watched in horror as the first energy ball slammed into the Plaza and destroyed the protective wards surrounding it. The backlash from the blast shattered the windows from the building and knocked people on the side walk to the ground. All the cars in the street stopped working and anything that was electronic shorted out.

The next energy ball slammed into the Plaza and ripped right through it. The blast shredded through the center of the Plaza and went out the other side. The other energy balls ripped through the buildings they were aimed at like rocks through paper.

Debris and rubble fell into the streets and smashed cars or people who were watching the scene. People were already frantic when the first shot hit its target but now they were panicking and screaming their heads off.

Thomas and his family were right in front of the Plaza when this happened. In the vision, Thomas had used his secondary gift to shield as many people as he could from the falling debris.

Thomas could hear loud cracking sounds or pops so he knew that some of the magicals in the building had escaped after the initial attack.

The Plaza started to groan before it started to collapse on itself. People started running away as a massive dust cloud started to form. The cloud encased those who weren't fast enough to escape its approach. A few of the other buildings started to collapse as well.

The group on the roof of the building made celebratory noises except for the two cloaked figures.

"Bloody hell!" A vampire with a green Mohawk exclaimed. "You weren't kidding when you said that thing had power. Where did you get it any way?"

"Family secret." The figure with the bow said tersely as he saw his brother tense up. "How do you feel about our offer now, mister Vicious?" The figure said to one of the other humans who pulled out a cell phone. He was wearing a black jacket and blue jeans.

"I believe," The man said as he began to hit the number keys on his phone. "That I will take you up on your offer, Mr. De Luca. I also believe that a few of my friends may be interested as well." He added holding his phone up before placing it against his ear.

"Very well." The cloaked figure nodded before turning to his brother. "To the fall of house Nero." He said as he conjured a goblet filled with red wine and held it out to his brother.

"To the fall of house Nero." His brother replied before tapping his goblet to the outstretched one. They took along drink of their wine before they disappeared with a loud crack.

The vision ended there and Thomas took many calming breaths as he blinked to adjust to coming out of it. He noticed that they were close to the Plaza.

"You need to go home," He told his mate who frowned at him. "And take the kids with you."

"Excuse me?" Tanya demanded.

"You heard me." Thomas almost snapped at her but he was speaking as calm as he could though he was freaking out on the inside. "You need to go home, now."

"Dog, calm the hell down and explain." Kate hissed at him. Thomas glared at her, his eyes changing from green to whitish blue. He took another deep breath to calm down as his eldest son began to speak.

"Daddy we can't just leave!" Tristan cried, looking very pale. Erik grasped his brother's hand so he could see what he saw. After he was finished he looked pale as well. "What about uncle Bertram or uncle Arthur or uncle Wilfred? We can't leave them!"

"We? What we?" Thomas demanded before shaking his head. "Look there's no time for this. I'll warn Bertram about what's happening but I don't want any of you here." He turned to Embry. _"There's a threat on Arthur's family,"_ He said to him in the language of their fathers. _"We have," _He paused for a moment as he scanned the future to look for the group that would be on the roof top. They had just entered the building and were moving at a normal pace. The cloaked figures had adopted rigid postures as one of the vampires had flashed over to a squatter and began to feed. One of them commented that the elevator was broken so they had to use the stairs. _"Eight to 10 minutes tops, maybe more."_

Embry, with an uncharacteristically serious look on his face, nodded to his pack brother and fellow Alpha. He turned to his mate and told her the same things as he picked up his daughter and handed her to her imprint.

"I am trusting you with her Poseidon." Embry told the vampire hybrid. "Do not let me down." The hybrid nodded firmly to him as he held a protesting Sasha back.

"We'll need a few of you to stay behind with us to help out," Thomas said to the group. "The rest of you will have to go back."

The group as a whole began to protest, especially Tanya, Irina, and their kids. Thomas asked the magicals in their group to hide them from the view of the other people.

"I am not leaving you!" Tanya hissed as Thomas lead them to an alley way. "You're crazy if you think other wise!" She continued.

"Baby, I do not have time to argue with you," Thomas began. "Lives are at stake right now and I don't want you or the kids to be here if we fail." He gently pried his daughter off of him and held her out to Kate who glared at him before taking her hysterical niece.

"No Auntie Kate, put me down!" Minerva wailed and tried to wiggle out of her aunt's hold. Kate held her firmly but with a bit of reluctance.

Thomas gave Alice and Jasper a look. They nodded and placed their hands on Tristan and Eric's shoulders respectively. Both boys began to struggle. Angela and Aphrodite glared at them.

"Get your hands off of him." Aphrodite growled at Jasper who merely raised an eyebrow.

"Or what, you'll hurt me?" He asked.

"Just go." Thomas snapped at them before an argument could ensue. "Oz take-"

SMACK!

All activity stopped as the group looked at the scene before them. For the first time ever, Tanya had hit Thomas. The group was stunned as she had never some much as threatened Thomas with bodily harm before. Not serious threats at least.

Thomas, for his part, didn't look surprised but resigned though his head was still to the side and he had not moved since.

"Don't you dare take my decision away from me," Tanya said in a cold whisper. Her eyes were black and her face was murderous. "I am not some cub that you could order around; you are damn fool if you think other wise. I am coming with you, do you hear me Thomas Matthews!" She roared at him. To his credit, Thomas didn't flinch at her tone though the others did. "I said, do you hear me?!" She demanded with a hiss.

"I do hear you," He responded in a flat voice. Tanya twitched slightly, not from anger but sadness. She hated it when Thomas would act all dejected but right now she was too angry to care. "But did you hear me?" He asked her, his voice beginning to rise as he slowly turned to look her in the eyes. "People will die if we fail and we are wasting time!" He growled and his eyes flashed.

"I'm not leaving you." Tanya said stubbornly. The others watched them, their heads moving back and forth, like they were watching a tennis match.

Thomas growled, "Fine!" He snapped before turning to the group. "Go home and don't come back until we call you. Anyone staying will follow me!" He barked before walking over to his children. He knelt down so he was level with his boys. "I love you." He told them but they merely scowled at him as he kissed the top of their heads. They wanted to help, not go home! Thomas turned to his daughter who had tears rolling down her cheeks.

"No daddy." Minerva whimpered as he approached her and kissed her forehead. "Don't go."

"Don't cry my angel," Thomas said soothingly as he wiped away her tears. "Don't cry."

"We can split up." Garrett announced suddenly. Tristan had just shown the others what could happen except for his sister and his cousin David. He was hoping one of them could help him tell his dad that it would be easier to split up instead of sending most of the group away. "One group can go to the Plaza and the other-"

"No!" Thomas growled, cutting him off and turning to glare at him. "Only a few of us have been there and-"

"Just trust me on this!" Garrett hissed. "One group can distract those who are going to attack while the others help Bertram and his family evacuate the building. It will work."

Thomas let out a roar of frustration. _They were wasting time!_ He thought. The kids jumped at the sound and backed away from him. He noticed this and he calmed down a little before glaring at Garrett again.

"If they get hurt Garrett, I will throw you into a furnace." Thomas hissed at him, ignoring Kate's growl of indignation. Garrett nodded his head. "Some of you take the kids to the Plaza the rest with me!" Thomas barked again as he began to leave.

Embry followed after kissing his children goodbye. Irina handed her son off to Garrett even though he clung to her like his life depended on it. He wailed loudly, begging his parents not to go but Garrett held him back. Amanda, Casey, Fred, and Marko followed them with Benjamin and Tia. They flashed out of the alley way and towards the unnamed building.

Garrett, Kate, Eleazar, Carmen, Poseidon, Jasper and Alice along with the kids, Angela, Aphrodite, Oz and Maysun, headed for the Plaza.

Thanks to the charm they all had on them, they ran through the streets with no one noticing.

As they were the first to arrive to their destination, Garrett's group headed inside of the Plaza. The notice me not they had on them was dropped the second they entered the building. Bertram was already in the lobby with Maddie, waiting for them. He grinned when they first entered but his grin fell when he saw the group's panicked expression's. He frowned when he noticed that people were missing.

"Uncle Bertram!" Tristan and Erik cried as they rushed forward. They, unlike David and their sister Minerva, had met him already and really hit it off with him.

"Kids?" Bertram frowned even more as he knelt to the floor. The other people in the lobby watched the scene with mild interest. Tristan spoke up when Bertram's eyes landed on him.

"I need to show you something." He said urgently. Bertram nodded his head slowly before he felt Tristan enter his mind.

The group had watched his face anxiously. Bertram's reactions varied from disbelief, to horror, and anger as he watch the vision that Tristan was showing him. Disbelief because he knew what scepter that was and who was supposed to have it. Horror because it was being used against his family. And finally anger because of how remorseless these figures felt in using it and who actually used it. After it was over, his face settled into a cold mask as he felt his blood begin to boil.

_Who the hell do they think they are!_ He raged in his head. _How dare they use that scepter against us!_

"How long do we have?" He asked no one in particular as he felt his girlfriend grasp his shoulder. She was looking at him with her eyes full of worry.

"Not long." Garrett answered. "Thomas and another group are heading to this building to at least buy you enough time to evacuate the building, maybe stop them altogether."

Bertram nodded his head at both scenarios though he personally hoped for the latter. He stood up and squeezed his girlfriends hand in reassurance before turning to three security guards who had walked over to them.

"Is everything alright Mr. Black?" One of them asked politely as the other two eyed the group with suspicion. Something that didn't go unnoticed nor was it appreciated by the group who narrowed their eyes except for the kids. "Are they bothering you?" The guard asked and some of the adults growled softly at the question.

"No they are not bothering me Chuy," Bertram began hotly. "They are my extended family and they bring grave news. There is a threat on the building and it is legitimate." He told them fiercely and he added that last part when they looked like they wanted to protest. "They would not lie to me and I have verified the proof they have presented to me. This is real gentlemen.

"Now begin EVAC order 84623. Get everyone to any Apparition point we have or tell them to use their emergency Portkeys. Go, now!" He barked at them.

The security guards scattered into different directions. One of them had opened a case with a red button on the inside. He pressed it and an alarm began to blare through out the building. Orange lights began to flash in the lobby.

_This is not a drill; I repeat this is not a drill._ The prerecorded voice of Artorius Nero joined the noise. _All personnel must reach their designated Apparition points or use their emergency Portkeys._

The message repeated itself and many of the staff members began to leave quickly. Bertram turned to the group.

"Follow me." He told them before grabbing his girlfriends hand and walking towards the elevators. The group followed right behind him.

"Where are we going?" Kate demanded as she rubbed her niece's back. Minerva was still hysterical but Kate was doing her best to comfort her.

"Magical bunker." Bertram replied as he pressed the down button and the elevator door opened. As they entered the elevator, Bertram spoke again. "It's meant to hold up against practically anything from your garden variety bomb to a nuke. It's what you're going to use as an apparition point or portkey out of there." He explained before pulling out a key from his pocket. He inserted his key into the key hole on the panel, turned it and pressed the red button that had the letter B next to it.

"We are not leaving!" Tristan and Erik growled in unison. Others in the group voiced their agreement with them.

"Yes you are." Bertram all but snapped at them as the door closed. "Your father would kill me if I let anything happen to you." He felt the mirror in his pocket vibrate so he pulled it out and began to speak into. "Go for Mustang." He said. The face of Wilfred White appeared into the mirror.

"Mustang, what the hell is going on? Why was the alarm raised?" Wilfred demanded.

"There is a legitimate threat on the building." Bertram told him. "Tell Nemaeus that the De Luca's have our family scepter and they plan to use it. Get the family out, now."

Wilfred stared at Bertram for a long time before nodding his head. He knew that Bertram would never joke about something like this though it did sound strange. He then relayed the message to the people in the room with him.

"Where are you?" Wilfred asked after he was finished.

"Taking some people to our bunker." Bertram responded. "I need you to call Detective Stone and his partner Detective Dale. Tell them to come with you and follow my magical signature. I'm going to help Thomas and the others fight the De Luca's when I'm done here. Mustang, out."

Wilfred nodded again before his face disappeared.

"This way," Bertram gestured in front of him when the doors open. The group reluctantly got out first and when they were all out Bertram and his girlfriend followed.

Meanwhile Thomas and his group had reached the abandoned building.

"We'll use the elevator shaft." Thomas said, making his way over to the elevator.

"But the elevator is out of order." Embry told him as he pointed to a sign that said 'OUT OF ORDER'.

"Well then you'll have to give us a lift." Thomas told him as he punched his way through the elevator doors before prying them open. The metal doors groaned in protest before they were forced all the way open. Thomas stepped inside and blasted the hatch that opened at the top of the elevator open. "Come on," He said without looking at his companions before jumping through the opening. The others followed right behind.

When the last of them and gone through the opening and landed on the roof of the elevator, Embry used his gift to levitate them up the elevator shaft. They were at the top of the shaft in a matter of seconds. Thomas pried those doors opened as well before going through them. He muttered a phrase and his battle gear appeared in place of his normal clothes. Embry and a few others did the same.

"We have to go up a short flight of stairs before we get to the roof," Thomas said before his eyes glazed over. "There are a few wards around the door and the stairs."

"I got em." Marko told him as he stepped forward. He trained as a curse breaker and was one the best in his class when it came to breaking wards. He could feel the wards and he began to disarm them. He walked forward and would stop every so often when he would feel another ward before disarming it. When they got to the door, Thomas stopped Marko.

"Don't worry about the door." Thomas said and Marko frowned at him. "I have it."

"How?" Marko frowned even more along with a few other people.

On the rooftop, one of the cloaked figures was finishing the final touches on the scepter when the door to the roof was blasted off its hinges along with the frame. The door itself sailed through the air, skipped across the roof, and headed towards the cloaked figures. They both dived out of the way as the door crashed against the stone ledge. The cloaked figure holding the scepter felt the scepter get yanked out of his hands by some on known force.

He lifted his head and saw that it was headed towards the door. He tried to summon it but his silent summoning spell was blocked by a bluish white force field.

"Grab it!" He barked at the others but they couldn't get to it in time.

The scepter hit one of the humans that were standing there and he was knocked to the ground. The scepter flew into the out stretched hand of Embry Call who was glaring at everyone on the roof through his mask which covered the top half of his face. He caught the scepter and handed it to Amanda.

He and Thomas stepped forward and they were followed by Benjamin, Tia, Marko and Casey. Tanya, Irina, and Fred stayed behind to give Amanda cover as she guarded the scepter and threw up anti-portkey and anti-apparition wards.

"Catch you fuckers at a bad time?" Casey spat at the group. He was wearing a bronze hockey mask that had a rattle snake etched into it on the left side. He had some bronze body armor. He was also holding a bronze baseball bat that he made in the forge back in Washington. Like all the other items, it was made from a mixture of vampire limbs, werewolf fang, and other assorted metals.

Marko snorted from his spot next to him. He was wearing black armor that covered his torso and he had a matching black helmet with two black bladed daggers.

"Well don't just stand about," The vampire with the green Mohawk snapped at his fellow vampires. "Get these little bastards!"

Two vampires rushed forward immediately. Both of them swung at Embry and Thomas as they were the ones in front. Both of them were backhanded with enough force that not only were they thrown back, but half of their faces were knocked off.

The group, apart from the cloaked figures, gaped at the two though they paid the others no mind. They were staring at the clocked figures with narrowed eyes that were bright with spirit energy.

Thomas held both hands to the side then raised them up until he pressed them in front of his face. As he did this a dome made up of spirit energy encased the roof top. Thomas snapped his finger to hold up the dome and started to speak.

"You will find that your portkeys are useless and apparition is out of the question." Thomas began, his mask animating itself to follow his facial movements. "What that means gentlemen that the only way out of here, is through the door right behind me." He paused to let that sink in. Some of the men tried to apparate or use their portkeys, hoping that Thomas was wrong. They were all dismayed that neither method worked. "If any of you think you can get past us; you are an idiot because you have no chance what so ever."

All the remaining vampires snarled before charging at him. Thomas raised his hand and focused his gift to expand the inside of their heads with his force field. All the vampires cried out and grabbed their heads which then burst into million's of pieces.

Thomas had only used this method twice before. Once in Volterra Italy to deprive the Italian coven of some of their most powerful members and when the last remaining members of the Italian coven retaliated for what happened on the Canadian border last year.

He never felt the need to do it again but he didn't want to waste time here. True, for the moment they had the upper hand but they still had other people to deal with.

"Next." Embry said indifferently.

The magically inclined humans whipped out their wands and shot spells at the group in front of the door. Thomas blocked the spells that would have hit him and Embry with his force field. Marko covered Benjamin and Tia by catching the spells with his daggers and sending them back to the casters. Casey literally batted the spells towards those who had drawn guns. Casey's aim was true and he hit everyone that had drawn their guns.

Some of them had been disarmed others had lost the hand that they held the gun in along with the gun still attached. Casey and Marko conjured boxes to place the body parts of the vampires in. Benjamin snapped his fingers before raising his hand. Flames encompassed his hand and he through them at the vampire heads or the parts that were left behind.

When the others were disarmed or incapacitated, the cloaked figures clapped.

"_Tali doti meravigliose che possiedono_." The taller one murmured to his brother in appreciation. (Such wonderful talents they possess)

"_Infatti_," His brother murmured back. "_Pecatto che dobbiamo ucciderli per interferire_." (Indeed. Shame that we have to kill them for interfering)

"_Infatti_," The taller figure agreed with a sigh.

"_Ci sono nomi e in grado di capire_." Embry interrupted. (We have names and we can understand you) He had learned quite a few languages in the past year. Italian was amongst his favorites.

"And we would appreciate it if you spoke to us directly," Thomas added in English before continuing in Italian. "_Il mio nome è Second Sight, e questo è mio fratello, Levitas._" He gestured to Embry who nodded. "_Vado su un arto qui e dire che voi due siete fratelli pure. Ho anche intenzione di dire che il tuo cognome è De Luca. Devo fare riferimento a voi come fratelli De Luca, o di condividere i vostri nomi? _(My name is Second Sight and this is my brother, Levitas. I'm going out on a limb here and say that you two are brothers as well. I'm also going to say that your surname is De Luca. Shall I refer to you as the brothers De Luca, or will you share your names?)

"You may call me _Lametta_." The taller figure said with a slight incline of his head. He drew his sword from behind his back and pulled his tomahawk from its holster. The blade was slightly curved and it had serrated edges. The handle was black and the blade was silver.

~Help me if you can~

"Razor Blade." Thomas muttered to himself as he drew his weapon, Alekanekelo, or as he likes to call it, Alika, from its belt that was across his lower back. He twirled it a few times before letting it rest at his side. He eyed Razor Blade critically before he felt his eyes glaze over. The upcoming fight between Razor Blade and himself was going to be difficult. Same for Embry and the other De Luca brother. Despite their heartbeat, these two were not your average humans. _"Watch your back. These two are not normal human beings." _He murmured to Embry in Quileute. Embry nodded to him in understanding.

~ It's just that this is not the way I'm wired  
so could you please~

"You may call me Sagittario." The smaller figure said as he held his bow in his left hand. He drew an arrow out of his quiver and nocked it though he did not raise his bow and pull the draw string back. The tip of the arrow was U-shaped as opposed to a Broadhead tip. The shaft was grey and the fletching's were black.

~ Help me understand why, you've given in to all these  
Reckless dark desires you're~

"The Archer." Embry said as he unsheathed his sicca named Joe Bob. He never really explained why or how he came up with that name. He just said that it was either that or Crown Royal.

~ Lying to yourself again suicidal imbecile,  
Pounding on a fault line~

Thomas and Embry stepped forward as did Razor Blade and Sagittario. By some unspoken declaration, Thomas had claimed Razor Blade as his opponent and Embry claimed the Archer as his. That held true for Razor claiming Thomas and Archer claiming Embry.

~ What' will it take to get it through to you precious? ~

All four men advanced slowly before they sped up. Thomas and Embry growled low in their throats as did Razor and Sagittario.

~Why would I, why would I, why would I want to watch you? ~

Thomas swung to the left in an upward slash with is weapon, Razor mirrored the action. Their weapons met and clashed together. Thomas then swung to the right. Razor deflected the strike but Thomas spun on his left heel and brought up his right leg. The back of Thomas' ankle connected with Razor's face and he was lifted off the ground. He spun around before landing on his stomach.

~Disconnect and self destruct one bullet at a time~

Sagittario held his bow to the side, pulled his draw string back, and loosed his arrow. Embry caught the arrow in the middle of its spine with his left hand. Embry twirled the arrow in his hand before ducking from Sagittario's bow which he used to swing at Embry.

~What's your rush, now everyone will have his day to die~

Sagittario's twirled his bow before he held it normally at the same time Embry spun around. Embry sent the arrow he caught earlier back to its owner by using his gift while Sagittario's drew another arrow, nocked it, pulled the draw string back, and loosed his second arrow.

Both arrows passed each other. Embry stepped forward and slashed at the arrow. Sagittario's blocked the arrow that was sent his way.

Razor slowly got to his feet. He wasn't in pain but he was trying to get a better assessment of his opponent. The other three were doing the same. Thomas knew what both of them were capable of if they really let loose. Embry had a good idea about what they could do. Both of them silently declared not to let them get that far.

Razor and Sagittario felt that their opponents were holding back. Razor felt something that he hadn't felt in a long time; the thrill that comes from fighting someone who could best you. He had only felt that once and that was when he fought a fellow mercenary by the name of Prometheus. He was a quarter giant that had a really nasty temper. The fight almost ended in a draw but Razor was able to beat him by slamming his sword into the quarter giant's throat.

The others watched the fight intently. They also felt that all four combatants were holding back. They hoped that Thomas and Embry could hold them back long enough for help to arrive though if the other two fighters started to fight back, things would get ugly.

Thomas twirled his weapon in his right hand until the wolf head facing down. Embry did the same thing so the tip of his blade was facing down. They both charged at their opponents.

~Medicated~

Razor swung his sword with a side strike. Thomas caught his wrist and held him there.

~Drama queen~

Thomas' right hand shot out towards Razor's face. Razor staggered a little but brought his tomahawk up.

~Picture perfect numb belligerence~

Thomas caught the strike midway with his weapon. He pulled his hand back and caught the tomahawk. The action caused the tomahawk to be knocked out of Razor's hand.

~Narcissisitic~

Embry spun around before he reached Sagittario. His blade was hanging to the side.

~Drama queen~

He jumped into the air. His spinning became more pronounced before he brought his weapon down.

~Craving fame and all its decadence~

Sagittario deflected the attack, but Embry swung his blade across Sagittario's chest. Sagittario cried out.

~Lying through your teeth again~

"Open!" Thomas hissed as his strike was caught but his opponent. Razor tightened his grip on Thomas' wrist but cried out when a metal spike pierced his skin and went through his shoulder.

~Suicidal imbecile~

Razor kicked Thomas away from him. He felt the metal spike get ripped out of him as Thomas sailed through the air and his black blood began form a patch where his wound was.

~Think about it, pounding on the fault line~

Sagittarios snarled before he twirled his bow above his head. He swung at Embry's side. Embry blocked but was kicked in the stomach and flew back.

~What'll it take to get through to you precious?~

Both Thomas and Embry landed hard on to the ground, skidding across the roof top before they slammed into each other. Razor had picked up his tomahawk, and Sagittario had nocked another arrow as they began to heal.

~ Over this, why do you Want to throw it away like this~

Razor threw his tomahawk at the same time his brother loosed an arrow that had a poisoned tip.

~Such a mess, I don't want to watch you~

Thomas and Embry rolled away from the tomahawk and the arrow. The tomahawk became embedded into the spot that Thomas was in. The arrow did the same for the spot that Embry had occupied.

~Disconnect and self destruct one bullet at a time~

Both Embry and Thomas got to their feet and were standing in front of their group again. Thomas swiped his hand to the side and Razor was hit by his force field, causing him to fly back. Embry held his hand out and Sagittaro's was lifted off of the ground. Embry then threw him next his brother.

~What's your rush, now everyone will have his day to die~

"_E 'questo il meglio che puoi fare?_" Razor demanded of Thomas who smirked and snapped his fingers, causing his dome to drop. "_Che cosa stai facendo?_" (Is that the best you can do? What are you doing?)

"_Sto fine questo._" Thomas replied before inclining his head behind Razor. "_Guarda dietro di te._" (I'm ending this. Look behind you)

"_Sicuramente non credo che stiamo andando a cadere per questo?_" Sagittario said incredulously. (Surely you don't think we're going to fall for that?)

"Whether you fall for it or not doesn't matter," Bertram Black said coldly as he hovered behind them in his battle attire. Razor Blade and his brother spun around to face him. "Both of you are under arrest." Bertram continued and the brothers laugh.

"Are you committing a citizen's arrest all by yourself?" Sagittario barked out between his laughter.

"Who said I was alone?" Bertram said with a cruel smirk. Both brothers stopped laughing and stared at him. Before they could ask him what he meant by that, they were hit by several bolts of lightning. Both brothers screamed at the top of their lungs as the fell.

"Giorgio Alfredo De Luca, Fabrizio Giuseppe De Luca, both of you are under arrest for crimes ranging from murder, arms dealing and the intent to destroy an Ancient and Noble family." A voice rang out. The air shimmered and a large dark skinned man with a goatee and sunglasses appeared into view. He was on what looked like a skate board but it had no wheels. Only the people near the building could see him because he used a charm to keep those not in the know about the supernatural out of it.

The air shimmered again and more people appeared. Some were on boards and others were on brooms. They all dressed differently but they had one element in common; a gold shield that had the letter M in the middle.

"Hawkins," The dark skin man roared at a near by person. "Finish reading their rights and make sure they do not get away!"

"Yes Detective Stone!" Hawkins saluted him before heading down to complete his task.

Bertram made his way over to his cousin.

"Don't worry, everyone is safe," He told them and Thomas, along with the others, let out sighs of relief. "I'll take you to them after Detective Stone and his partner are finished with you."

The group nodded as Stone and a woman with dirty blonde hair drifted over to them.

"Alright people, who can tell me what happened here?" Stone demanded of the group. After getting an encouraging nod from Bertram, Thomas began their story.

* * *

**Song used is The Outsider Apocalypse mix by A Perfect Circle.**

**If any of you speak Italian or are Italian and if you notice that the translation's may be off or the spelling is off or something, please note that I used Google translator. If its inaccurate I apologize profusely but I was getting tired of writing that the charcters were speaking in another language without actually switching the language.**

**Hopefully all of you enjoy this chapter none the less.**


	5. Lunch Break

Artorius Nero paced angrily in the board room of the Lyons Den Plaza. His day had started out well; he was hanging out with the Potter-Blacks, The Zabini's and the Longbottom-Lestranges. He had introduced them to his girlfriend of eight months, Li-Jen of house Chan. She had gotten along with them and them with her, swimmingly in fact.

The Malfoy's were with his mother and uncle, discussing how things differed for the American branch of the Black family compared to the original line. Apart from the pure blood agenda that some members spouted, the closeness in relations that some members shared, both branches weren't that different when it came to the power they held in the political arena.

Apart from Orion Black, all English Lords from the Black line dominated the Dark faction of the Wizengamot, wizarding Britain's high court of law and parliament. The most ruthless of them was Arcturus Black III, son of Sirius and Hesper, brother of Regulus and Lycoris, father of Orion and Lucretia.

Arcturus was very proud to be a pure blooded wizard. However, he was never blinded by his pride like some members of his family, including his son. While he led the dark faction he never felt the urge to join Voldemort. In his mind, the lord Black should never subjugate themselves to anyone, even someone who was more inclined towards pure blood beliefs. It also didn't help Voldemort's case that he was willing to end noble lines if they didn't support him.

Even though he passed the title of Lord Black to his son when he turned seventeen, as his father had done before, he still retained his position with the Wizengamot. While Orion was intelligent, he wasn't very politically inclined. It didn't help that his wife was always adding her opinion in the pot when he had discussion with his father. Arcturus had no problem with head strong women but he did have problems with someone butting in instead of waiting for their turn to speak. Something Walburga did repeatedly and without remorse.

With this new branch, Cassius Black had a lot of pull in the Tribunal, the American equivalent of the Wizengamot. He wasn't as ruthless as Arcturus; in fact he was far more subtle. The one thing they did have in common was that they never took bribes from anyone though they were offered some many times. They never took threats very well either.

For Arcturus, it was an offer by Desmond Crabbe, father of Vincent and grandfather of Vincent Jr. The offer was simple, if Arcturus supported Crabbe's proposed bill to ban muggle borns from attending Hogwarts, he would offer up his daughter as payment for Arcturus to do with as he pleased.

Desmond assumed that since Phineas Nigellus Black tried and failed to do so during his time as Headmaster of Hogwarts, that Arcturus would want to make up for it. He also assumed that since the Crabbe family had married into the Black family, Arcturus would have no problem mixing with their family again.

He was dead wrong on both counts.

Arcturus had no love for those of none magical birth but he never spurned them every chance he got like most pure bloods. He just treated them with cold indifference because Arcturus knew one thing that most pure bloods didn't or chose to ignore; muggle borns were a major source of income. Through them, the British pound/ Galleon exchange rate helped with the annual revenue. The purchases made by muggle borns were a great boon to the economy as well.

Despite knowing that, Arcturus often felt irritated that the majority of them felt the need to complain about tradition. Some of the main points of upholding pure blood traditions were because of sentimentality for the old ways and the protections they provided. Pure blooded wizards did not want to let go of that hence the idea to keep marrying those of pure blood because it helped strengthen that protection; even if they had to marry from minor houses or foreign families. While that eased the unnerved feelings that some families had for a few centuries, it also presented another problem that cropped up when no fresh blood was available; inbreeding.

While some families had no qualms about marrying their own cousins (Like with Orion and his wife Walburga for example though that was mainly because the offers made for both of them fell through and they were secret lovers for quite some time) or their siblings (In the case of the Gaunt family), some, like Arcturus, detested that notion. Despite that, he would never allow a muggle born to be apart of the Black family. He had no problem with letting one of the lesser lines that the Black family produced marry one before bringing their new blood into the fold but he never would let them into the main line right away. The Black family would never survive the fall out and social destruction though there was one muggle born that he was rather…intrigued by.

Her name was Lily Evans though when he had formally met her, she was Lady Potter. Arcturus couldn't help but marvel at her passion and her intelligence. While most pure bloods barely tolerated her existence, Arcturus held genuine respect for her, even if he didn't express it in a public setting.

For the second part of Crabbe's thought process, Arcturus basically told him that his father liked to have sex with trolls and he probably did too, though it took Desmond quite sometime to figure it out as Arcturus used his silver tongue to make a blunt statement sound like a complex riddle. The fact that Desmond took so long to catch on made the mental declaration that Arcturus made about the female members of the Crabbe possessing the intelligence as opposed to the men that much more real.

With Cassius, a newly appointed lord tried to bribe him with an obscene amount of money to get his backing for the idea of having armed guards at all the werewolf reservations across the country. He also proposed a restriction on werewolves having children; proposing that they be sterilized.

Cassius refused outright.

His reasoning was that the reservations were very secure and that he trusted those that were in charge. The werewolf reservations were a safe haven for those who had been infected by lycanthropy. Most of the reservations were near border towns or places with small populations, so in the event that any werewolf was to…stray from them, they would be lest likely to attack many people and get exposed.

He also refused on the issue of sterility because there was no way he would ever take away a man's right to father a child or a woman's right to carry one. He had no right to do that, no one did. True, there were people who abused children and if the abuse was discovered the authorities got involved. However, the right to give birth to a child or sire one was not something that should be taken away. Cassius felt that it was inhuman to do that let alone think about doing it.

The new lord had blustered and sputtered at the implied insult made against him until he did something that earned him a spot on Cassius' shit list forever; he threatened his wife and their son.

While Cassius was more subtle in the Tribunal, outside he was anything but, especially when his family was threatened. He had kicked the dumbass in the balls before grabbing him by his hair and slamming his face into a table. When Cassius told him that he would have him sterilized if he ever threatened his family again, the new lord left his office and left Cassius alone.

Wilfred White Sr. and Claudius Nero were hardly slouches themselves when it came to politics. They had made their fair share of allies as well as enemies. Claudius' biggest opponent was Giuseppe De Luca. The word rivalry would not be a very appropriate word to describe their antagonistic relationship. Simply put; they detested each other. Giuseppe was very harsh with his politics and felt that Claudius was too soft on restrictions for creatures living in the United States. Claudius felt that it was pointless to restrict them, stating that they handled all of their conflicts without drawing much attention to themselves, just like the wizarding community did. He also thought that they would have an uprising on their hands and that was something they could not afford.

De Luca brought this up again at a party that Claudius held for his son's first birthday. Claudius did not want to invite him there but he did so because his wife was friends with De Luca's wife and Claudius' distant cousin, Francesca. Octavia also felt that it would be good for the kids –Bertram, Artorius, and Wilfred- to get to know their kids, Fabrizio and Giorgio, who were around the same age.

All was going well until Giuseppe, who had a lot to drink, angrily demanded that Claudius change his view on the proposed restrictions for creatures in the supernatural community. Claudius told him to head home before he embarrassed himself. Giuseppe did not take too kindly to that and started to verbally attack him and his family. His wife tried to stop him but he threw her to the ground only for him to be lifted off the ground by his neck.

He turned to see the murderous face of Claudius Nero before he was dragged out of the room and into the front of the house. Claudius threw him to the ground and told him to leave. Giuseppe had gotten to his feet, drew his wand and shot a cutting curse at Claudius but Claudius just batted it away and hit Giuseppe with a stunner.

Francesca came out holding her two boys and apologizing profusely to Octavia and Claudius. Both of them waved her off saying that it wasn't her fault. She still apologized as she portkeyed her family out of there.

When word spread about what he did at the party, Giuseppe lost a lot of political support and his bill fell through. No one wanted to be associated with him because if he could act like that at a baby's first birthday party, what was to stop him from doing it somewhere else. To them, Giuseppe became a liability; one that none of them could afford. Giuseppe didn't blame himself for what happened and put the blame on Claudius. He even went so far to challenge him to an honor duel; saying that it was because of him that he lost the support and his pride took a hit.

Claudius wanted to refuse at first; citing that it really wasn't worth it and he also did it out of respect for Francesca and their kids. Despite his hesitance, he agreed only after Giuseppe had insulted his family honor along with his wife.

The duel barely lasted a minute until Claudius disarmed Giuseppe and threw him out of the ring. It was one of the terms of the duel; they either had to knock out their opponent, throw him out of the ring or kill him. Claudius felt that being disarmed and thrown out of the ring would have been punishment enough.

Giuseppe on the other hand had drawn a second wand and shot a cutting curse at Claudius when his back was turned. This proved to be a mistake because Claudius had turned around and erected a shield, causing the curse to bounce back to Giuseppe, and hit him in the neck. A large and deep gash appeared on his neck and massive amounts of blood spurted out of it.

Claudius had rushed over to him to try and heal the wound but it wouldn't seal up. Claudius watched as Giuseppe gasped for breath before the light left his eyes. Claudius had no qualms about killing someone; especially if they threatened his family. However, he didn't mean to kill Giuseppe and he didn't mean to leave his cousin as a widow and have her children grow up without their father. Little did he know that his actions that year lead the younger De Luca's to push themselves so they could one day have their revenge on the house of Nero.

Something that they almost succeeded in doing earlier today.

Artorius was furious when his cousin said that the De Luca's had their family scepter and planned to use it. He tried to leave the building to follow Bertram but his father and uncle held him back and took him home before coming back to get the others. He was angry that his father and uncle did that. So angry in fact that he changed into his other form and destroyed his father's study where they had locked him in. The only ones he would let approach him were his younger siblings, his girlfriend, and his mother.

He had a soft spot for his younger siblings especially his sister, Drusilla. He was only three years old when she was born but he was protective of her none the less. She was the only one besides his mother who could calm him down when he was angry and she was the only one besides Tiberius, his brother, who could not make him angry. He couldn't explain it other than that it was hard to be angry with them.

He stayed there for what felt like hours until he got the all clear from his cousin and best friend. He didn't get to go right away but when he did he gathered everyone into the board room and began to pace.

"Baby you need to calm down." Li Jen said, chiding her boyfriend who began to blush though he stopped pacing. "Oh don't blush; you know you love it." She teased him and he blushed even more.

"Jen!" He hissed at her, causing her, his sister, and his cousin Artemis to giggle. His mother grinned at him and his father smiled slightly. Tiberius merely snorted at his brother's discomfort. Artorius glared at him. "Traitor." He muttered and Tiberius snorted again.

"Calm down Mufasa." He said with an eye roll, much to the amusement to those who got the Lion King reference. "Pacing until there is a hole in the floor is not going to make Detective Stone and Detective Dale work any faster." He murmured then added, "And besides, you are making our guests rather anxious." He glanced sideways at the Potter-Blacks, The Malfoys, The Zabini's, and the Longbottom-Lestranges who were shifting slightly and eyeing Artorius with concern.

Artorius followed his line of sight before sighing and walking to a chair that was next to his girlfriend. With a huff he sat down and crossed his arms.

"Aw don't pout," Jen cooed to him and he blushed again as he saw his mother grin at him. "You'll see them soon." Jen told him and the second the last syllable left her mouth, Artorius felt his mirror vibrate in his pocket. He quickly pulled it out and spoke into it.

"Go for Nemaeus," He said and an image of Bertram Black appeared. "Mustang! What's going on? Where are you?" Artorius demanded of his cousin as a feeling of relief rushed through him. Bertram's mother and father rushed over to Artorius to get a peak at their son. The others perked up and listened intently

"Sheesh calm down!" Bertram told him. "No need to play twenty questions. But to answer the ones you asked, Stone and Dale just finished with Thomas and we are about to portkey to the bunker to grab the others."

"Others?" Artorius frowned.

"Yeah," Bertram nodded slowly, staring at his cousin with a curious expression. "One part of Thomas' group came here to warn us. I took them to the bunker so they could portkey out but they were very adamant about staying behind." He made a face before continuing, "You have no idea how disconcerting it is to be threatened with bodily harm from a wolf vampire hybrid child. Especially five of them and especially when you know they can follow through with it."

There were several snorts of laughter on his end and Artorius snorted as well before he said, "I see. I wasn't here for the part where you said that so I didn't know. Is Mecha with you?" Wilfred's parents perked up, waiting to hear the answer.

"He is," Bertram nodded before he smirked and stage whispered, "That's part of the reason we took so long; he and Connie Dale were making eyes at each other." His snickering was followed up with a yelp. "Ow! What the fuck was that for Mecha?!" He yelled at his friend.

"Bertram!" His mother shrieked, snatching the mirror out of her nephew's hand. She glared into it. "What did I tell you about using that language?!"

Bertram didn't reply but his skin was as white as a sheet.

"Well?!" His mother snapped.

"What's that Thomas?" Bertram ignored his mother and looked away from the mirror. "The kids are getting restless you say? Well let's not keep waiting! By mom, love you!" He added hurriedly before turning off his mirror.

His mother huffed before glaring at her nephew who shrank back. She tossed the mirror to him and he caught it as she threw her hands up in the air.

"Honestly what is wrong with you boys?" She demanded. "Even when you were kids you would swear like sailors." She muttered before shaking her head in exasperation. She turned to glare at her grinning husband. "This is your fault." She declared and Cassius frowned slightly.

"How so?" He asked her and she scowled irritably at him. Octavia, Claudius, Wilfred White Sr and Flora looked at her curiously, wondering where she was going with this.

"You swore a lot in front of them and made rude hand gestures!" Lucretia snapped. "I swear Artemis gave me the bird when I told her to eat her vegetables when she was three!" She went on and her daughter looked at her with wide eyes while her cousins snickered.

Cassius opened his mouth, ready to protest when a robin patronus flew into the room. It landed on Artorius shoulder.

"It's Maddie's patronus." He murmured to those that didn't know. The patronus began to speak.

"Got the group and we're making our way up." It said. "Bertram and Embry suggested we have some lunch and chat. We'll discuss it when we get there though Thomas and Alice are pretty sure that we'll be eating."

Those who didn't know about what Thomas and Alice could do looked at the patronus in confusion while Artorius nodded.

"That sounds good." He muttered, mostly to himself. "Thank you for the message." He added to the robin which nodded and disappeared. "Dips!" He exclaimed and a healthy looking house elf appeared with a pop.

"You rang Artorius." Dips had been apart of the Nero house staff for awhile and his mother had looked out for the three boys –Artorius, Bertram, Wilfred- when they were younger. None of them treated her or the elves like slaves, they treated them like family.

"Is the food I asked for ready?" Artorius asked him with a smile. Dips bobbed his head up and down, his bat like ears flopping around with each bob.

"It is."

"Good." Artorius nodded. "Be ready to bring it in when I say so."

"I will Artorius."

"Thank you for your time…little brother." He murmured and Dips smiled before disappeared with a pop.

The British group, especially Hermione, stared at him with dumbfounded expressions. While she didn't agree with the way they were treated, she long gave up on trying to free them because she found out that house elves needed to be bound to a wizard or they would die. However, she and the others couldn't help but stare at Artorius. Most wizards in Britain treated house elves terribly and here was a wizard who called a house elf his brother. Artorius noticed their looks but he didn't comment on it.

"Now we just have to wait." He said to the room at large before turning to British group. "Oh and a word of warning, the wolves like to eat a lot, so do their children. The amount maybe a little…disconcerting but I can assure you that it is the norm for them."

The group gave him perplexed looks but nodded slowly. They thought it was odd that he mentioned that but just shook it off and waited for the others to arrive. They were very interested in meeting this group.

Roughly 10 minutes later, Artorius stood up when he heard foot steps and headed to the door. He held it open and gestured for everyone to come in. Bertram and Maddie cane in, hand in hand. They were followed by Wilfred then Thomas and his family filed in.

Thomas was holding his daughters left hand and Tanya held the other. Tristan was clinging to his mother while Erik clung to their father. Embry held his daughter who buried her face into his shoulder. He had one hand rubbing his son's back while he clung to his mother. The others shuffled behind them. They stood by the wall and looked at everyone else.

The British group marveled at the beauty the adults possessed. They even marveled at the children; thinking they were just as gorgeous as the adults.

The adults in Thomas' smiled slightly and Claudius stepped forward. Thomas bowed at the waist. The others followed his example and bowed as well.

"Lord Nero." Thomas said respectfully. He had only spoken to Claudius on the phone or on the two way mirror. They would have met sooner but Thomas and his family were busy. "My apologies for not meeting you sooner. My family and I had a lot to deal within the past year."

He was going to say more but Claudius pulled him into a hug. Thomas let go of his daughter's hand and Erik stepped back. Thomas returned the hug somewhat awkwardly.

"Thank you." Claudius said hoarsely. "All of you." He added to the group that blinked at him.

Artorius stared at his father with a somewhat startled expression. While Claudius was hardly a cold person, he never lost his composure, especially in front of guests.

"You don't need to thank me," Thomas said softly. "You've helped my family and I will help yours in anyway that I can."

His group murmured their agreement with his words.

"Sweetheart," Octavia murmured to her husband as she stepped forward to grasp his shoulders. She started to pull him away when she added, "You are hogging the guests; the rest of us wish to say thank you as well."

"There's no need." Thomas said quickly as he pulled away. "Really there is no need. I'm sure you would have done the same for us, Lady Nero."

"Please call me Octavia." She told him with a smile. "But you are correct; we would help you."

"Damn right we would." Bertram, Wilfred, and Artorius grunted in unison. Their mother's gave them looks but ignored them for now.

"Dips!" Artorius clapped his hands and the elf appeared. "Could you bring in the food please?" He asked and the elf nodded before snapping his fingers.

The boardroom table was replaced with a dinner table filled with massive quantities of food. Fried chicken, steak, brisket, loaves of bread, were just some of the dishes available.

Embry licked his lips as his eye roamed over the table and Thomas rolled his eyes at him before smacking him in the back of the head. Embry yelped before he rubbed the spot that was hit. He glared at Thomas.

"What was that for?!" He hissed.

"You were drooling," Thomas murmured. "Not to mention that you were a split second away from lunging towards the table and eating everything in sight. Let's finish with the introductions, and let them and the kids eat first. Then we can eat."

Thomas said all of that with a bit of exasperation but he was mostly quiet and patient. He was long used to his fellow Alpha's eating habits but they were in the presence of people who weren't. A bit of tact was in order.

Embry gave him an irritated look before he huffed out, "You didn't need to hit me!"

"There there," Thomas patted the top of his head, much to the amusement of people who were watching them. Embry looked more miffed but he just settled for glaring at Thomas again. Thomas ignored him and addressed the room. "Hello my name is Thomas Matthews."

The people who didn't know him murmured their greetings.

"This is my wife, Tanya and our children; my sons Tristan and Erik. And this is our daughter, Minerva." He gestured to each of them. Tanya smiled and waved, so did the boys. Minerva waved shyly as she fisted the back of her fathers coat as she half hid behind him.

"This is my brother and fellow Alpha; Embry Call and his fiancée Irina along with their children, Sasha and David."

The same thing happened just as before but the group was slightly startled when David said in a very clear voice, "Hello everyone." He waved cheerfully at everyone he didn't know. Thomas and the adults in his group agreed that it wouldn't be so bad if they didn't hide their nature but they also agreed not to over do it.

Thomas continued down the line and everyone politely greeted each other though there was some raised eyebrows when Poseidon and Aphrodite were introduced..

"Shall we dine?" Thomas asked rhetorically as he gestured to the food. Those who ate nodded and everyone took a seat. "Children first." He muttered to Embry who scowled at him but began to make a plate for Sasha. Thomas did the same for Minerva and helped his wife with making one for each of their boys. He paused in his task and turned to Claudius. "Your scepter is safe Lord Nero. Bertram placed it somewhere where you can retrieve it and place it where you think it should be kept."

"Please call me Claudius." The head of house Nero murmured before sighing in relief. He was going to ask about that but he was glad that it was safe.

Little David scanned the table quickly from his spot in his mother's arms. For the most part he like what he saw but he furrowed his little brow before shifting in his mother's arms. He placed his tiny feet on her thigh, pulled himself up, cupped his mother's ear and whispered, "Mama, can you ask them if they have bell peppers?" Those with very good hearing heard the question and smiled to themselves.

Irina smiled down at her son. Irina had eaten a lot of spicy food when she was pregnant with David and he loved bell peppers. He could eat two mixing bowls filled with them and not get tired of it.

"Sure," She placed her son's plate to the side and looked at Artorius, "Excuse me, would it be possible to get two mixing bowls filled with bell peppers?"

Some people paused in making their plates to look at her curiously. Artorius already heard what was said but called for Dips to bring in what she asked for anyway. The second they appeared on the table, David all but lunged at them but Irina held him firmly.

"Calm down," She admonished him but he pouted at her. She grabbed a pepper that was lime green but had a hint of orange to it. She handed it to him and he began to munch happily on it. Several people stared at Irina or David incredulously.

"My son enjoys bell peppers," Embry said without looking at anyone of them. David paused in his eating to look at his father before looking at those who were staring at him. He smiled at them and they smiled back, some what hesitantly. "He always has." He went on. He wanted to throw out that he and Irina would never let their children eat something that they shouldn't but he got a quick warning look from Thomas, telling him to back off.

Those who stared assumed that he was just answering one of the unanswered questions they had.

"Are you sure that's healthy for a boy so young?" Teddy blurted out before he could stop himself. Harry glanced at him sharply as did Hermione. The others stilled in anticipation; waiting to hear the answer. Embry had finished making Sasha's plate so he glanced over to the boy. Thomas gave Embry a sideways glance which was ignored.

"How much do you know about wolf shifters?" Embry asked Teddy who hesitated. He didn't want to speak out of turn. Mind you, this was hardly a formal meal but he still didn't want to offend anyone.

"Not much." Teddy admitted. "Back home, the only form of shape shifter over there is a boggart or a metamorphmagus, which is what I am." He changed his face to match Harry's though he kept the turquoise color hair. The younger kids clapped in glee at the change which caused Teddy to smile. He changed back and continued, "The closest thing to an animal shifter is an animagus but that hardly counts I suppose."

"No it doesn't." Thomas added. "Because animal shifters are born with the gift to change into an animal; they don't learn how to do it from a book."

"By that logic," Bertram began. "Mecha, Nemaeus and I are animal shifters as we are natural animagi."

"In that sense, it is true I suppose," Thomas conceded a little as he handed Erik his plate of food. "But it still wouldn't count as your parents are not natural animagi nor do they carry the gene that makes it possible for one to be a shifter."

Bertram nodded slowly. _That made a lot of sense,_ he thought.

"A wolf shifters body temperature is 108 degrees," Embry went on as he began to make his plate of food. "Normally, we don't age if we phase, change into our other forms, regularly. However, some of us don't have to phase as often to stay young."

"Why is that Mr. Call?" Hermione asked him as she picked up a piece of steak with her fork. She, like Teddy, had been curious about the wolf shifters. The others were as well but they weren't as vocal as Hermione and Teddy.

"Please call me Embry," He murmured to her as he speared a piece of turkey and put it on his plate. "And to answer your question Lady Potter-"

"Hermione," She interjected quickly and quietly.

"To answer your question Hermione," Embry smiled. "Some of us have bonded to other supernatural beings." He would have said immortal but all of them were hardly immortal as they could be killed. True it was very difficult to kill them but that fact alone contradicted the very definition of immortal.

"Bonded?" Hermione raised an eyebrow. "Bonded how? Does it involve some sort of ritual?"

Embry and Thomas barked out a few laughs but shook their heads. Several people noted that they sounded like dogs when they did so.

"No Hermione it's nothing like that." Thomas grinned at her. "It's actually quite simple; when an animal shifter finds their soul mate, and when their eyes connect, the bond is established. We call it imprinting."

"Imprinting?" Hermione frowned, scrunching up her face in thought. "Isn't that what most young animals do when they fix their attention on the first object with which they have a visual, auditory, or tactile experience and thereafter follows that object? Like a parental figure?"

"Well we just use the term because the event is so similar." Thomas explained as he picked up a bread roll and broke it apart. He placed a few pieces of brisket inside before he continued. "Trust me; I do not see my wife as a motherly figure." He gave a mock shudder though he found the thought disturbing. He took a bite out of his make shift sandwich to clear his thoughts. He had to admit that it was very good; the brisket was very juicy and the bread practically melted in his mouth.

"I certainly hope not." Tanya wrinkled her nose at the thought as she ran a hand through her daughter's hair as she ate while sitting in her father's lap. Irina turned to Embry and raised and eyebrow at him. He gave her a real shudder but said nothing, opting to eat instead.

"You said that you had a lot to deal with in the past year," Narcissa began, staring at the opposite group intently. Most people would write them off as just being beautiful but a lot of people in the boardroom, Narcissa included, could see and feel the power they possessed. It wasn't anything like magic but it was still powerful. "What exactly did you mean by that if you don't mind my asking?"

Thomas swallowed the bite of food he just had before responding.

"To put it simply, Madam Malfoy; my family and I had to deal with the aftermath of the fall of vampire royalty." Thomas murmured. Narcissa arched her eyebrows at him, silently prompting him to go on. "The ruling force of the vampire community -at least the branch my wife, her siblings, and other members of our family are derived from- was the Italian Coven otherwise known as the Volturi. They were in power for over three thousand years.

"They weren't the oldest coven; that title goes to the likes of the Egyptians and Romanians, nearly all of whom have passed on."

"Nearly all of them have passed on?" Draco Malfoy inquired. He didn't have anything against magical creatures despite that his experiences with a few were not happy ones. He was very intrigued by this topic and wanted to know as much as he could. "Some of them are still around?"

"Yes," Thomas nodded as he grabbed a piece of fried corn on the cob. "Or some of the people they turned." He grinned at Benjamin who grinned back. "But for the most part the ancient covens have been…discontinued." He took a bite out of his corn on the cob but Garrett picked up the conversation.

"None of you seem to be afraid of us." He commented.

"Should we be?" Blaise Zabini asked somewhat jovially.

"That I will leave up for you to decide," Garrett told him. "But I find it slightly odd that none of you seem to be scared of us."

"Like wise," Jasper added. "You're here dining with people who could kill you yet display no out ward emotions." What was left unsaid by Jasper was that he did feel a spike of fear before lunch began but he didn't want to give anything away.

"Do you want us to be afraid?" Daphne Black asked coolly.

"Again that is up to you," Thomas jumped back in to the conversation. "But still we find it intriguing that you don't seem to be afraid. Most people either stare at us like idiots or look the other way; especially if we look angry."

"Like earlier today." David Call piped up as he reached for his fourth bell pepper. "They wouldn't stop making eyes at us!" He huffed but sighed in content when Irina handed him his bell pepper and a piece of brisket.

Some people snickered at his exclamation but the people in his group nodded in agreement.

"Embry and I had a debate on whether it would be a good idea to portkey into the building just so we would avoid all of that." Thomas sighed. "But I suppose it's a good thing that we didn't other wise we would not have stopped Razor and Sagittario." Though he kept his voice even for the most part, the others noticed that there was a hint of steel in his tone.

The others in the British group paused in their eating and looked at him questioningly.

"I will explain further after lunch." Thomas told them and they nodded. They all fell into a comfortable silence though Thomas knew that some people were bursting at the seams with questions. He also knew that the up coming conversation was not only going to get tense but interesting as well.


	6. Discussion part One

"What is your opinion of the De Luca's?" Claudius Nero asked Thomas and his group as they sat down in some comfortable chairs in a near by lounge. The kids and the younger magicals were in between them in a privacy dome playing games. This was done so everyone could watch them but not have them be apart of the conversation. Angela, Aphrodite, and Poseidon opted to sit with them.

Claudius wanted to get to the heart of the matter before anything else was discussed. He was also very eager to hear about what Thomas had to say.

Thomas ran a hand through his wife's strawberry blonde hair as she sat in his lap. He frowned thoughtfully as he replied, "They are very skilled," He began. "They probably have lots of resources but above all; they are very angry. This isn't just your typical anger but a white hot rage. I was overwhelmed by the smell of their anger."

"Overwhelmed by the smell of their anger?" Astoria frowned at Thomas who chuckled a little.

"My apologies, allow me to explain further," Thomas murmured. "Wolf shifters or animal shifters in general have heightened senses or abilities. However, there are some who are better with one sense or have different abilities altogether. In my case, my sense of smell is superior in comparison to the other wolf shifters that I know. So much in fact that I can literally smell an emotion that someone is feeling. The stronger the feeling, the more powerful the scent will be. I was very overwhelmed by the hatred they were feeling."

Thomas paused and then turned to Claudius.

"If you don't mind me asking Lord- Claudius," Thomas corrected himself when Claudius gave him a look. "If you don't mind me asking; what did you do or what do the De Luca's think you did?"

Claudius let out a weary sigh as his wife slipped her hand into his, offering her support.

"I… I killed their father in combat." He admitted and Cassius snorted at his brother in law. "This isn't funny Cassius!" Claudius hissed. "What almost happened today was because of what happened to Giuseppe!"

"That may be," Cassius said calmly. "But what happened with Giuseppe was an accident; plain and simple. An accident, that happened when he lost the duel and fired a curse at you when your back was turned. I wish I could say that I understand what the two of them are feeling but my father wasn't that much of a father so I can't but they had no right to try and pull what they did!" He finished hotly.

"Be that is it may," Claudius said. "They blame me for what happened and decided to take it out on the family. That's a fact that you cannot deny."

"Regardless," Embry cut in before Cassius could retort. "What they tried to do was unforgivable," He turned to Thomas. "What's going to happen to them?" He asked him and a few people frowned.

Thomas' eyes glazed over as he searched the future of the De Luca brothers.

"Is he ok?" Harry asked, speaking for the first time in a while. He was mostly quiet and he observed the other group. He had to admit that they had this presence about them It wasn't one that made him uneasy but one that made him feel like he was apart of it. It was a strange feeling for him but it didn't put him off.

"I'm doing very well Hadrian," Thomas answered. "Just checking something out. Oh and I'm calling you Hadrian because I think it's too soon for me to be calling you Harry. We're not that familiar with each other though I hope we will become friends."

Harry and a few people sat in their chairs dumbfounded. Tanya grinned and decided to take pity on them.

"My husband is very gifted," She said. "He was born with the gift of precognition or foresight if you prefer. He can see the future; sometimes in his sleep but also while he is awake. Before he would only get glimpses; bits and pieces from up coming events but sometimes he would get the entire event when he was asleep.

"Over the years his power grew but it became more powerful after he ascended."

"Ascended?" Neville asked. "Ascended in to what exactly?"

"An Alpha." Embry answered. "Remember when I said that some of us have bonded to other supernatural beings?" Though he was looking at Neville, everyone not in Embry's group nodded. "Well when T.J. and I," He gestured to Thomas then himself, "Imprinted on our soul mates, our bodies changed. We possessed the basic vampiric abilities; super speed, enhanced strength etc. We trained for a confrontation that ended in a battle of wits but spring break of last year was when things really got interesting.

"See T.J. here," He patted Thomas on the shoulder. Thomas turned to him and gave him an irritated look even though his eyes were still glazed. Embry ignored it and continued. "Was the first of us to have a link to the Great Spirit; a higher power that all of us fuel but ultimately ignore. He was marked by T'ist'ilal; a figure from Quileute legend who has made the sky his domain." Thunder boomed outside the building and there was a flash of lightning as rain began to fall. "Well at least in the spirit world." Embry eyed the weather with trepidation as Thomas blinked to adjust his vision.

"You do realize that you just created more questions right?" Thomas muttered to Embry who just shrugged. Thomas turned to Claudius and spoke in an almost sad tone; "The De Luca's are going to be executed," His declaration had silenced everyone from commenting. "They have dozens of warrants for their arrest in many different countries. They also have bounties on their heads; all of them equate to tens of millions of dollars.

"Both of them have done illegal body modifications; they drank diluted troll's blood to enhance their strength, injected boiled werewolf venom into their veins to enhance their senses etc. It's a very long list of things that they have done to their bodies.

"Embry and I will be called to bear witness at the trial as we were the ones to engage them in combat.

"No one has been able to catch them until now," He went on when everyone was still silent. "The ICW will convene soon but the decision will be swift and clear; Giorgio and Fabrizo will die before the day this meeting takes place is over." He finished quietly.

He paused for a few moments to let that sink in before speaking again.

"This is no one's fault but theirs." He said gently. "I'm not saying that they have no right to be angry about what happened to their father, but they had no right to take it out on any of you or try to at least." He paused again before looking back at Claudius. "Does today have any significance to you?" He asked him curiously and Claudius shook his head.

"No it doesn't," Claudius frowned. "Their father died in January of 89, not too long after the confrontation he and I had at Artorius' first birthday party. The family left not too long after to bury Giuseppe, their father, in Italy."

"And what happened to their mother?" Embry asked him.

"I don't know," Claudius admitted. "Like I said; they left for Italy not to long after Giuseppe moved on. No one has heard from her or any of them since. Why do you ask?"

"Because I think their mother might have passed away on this day sometime ago," Embry explained. "It's the only thing that makes sense. If they wanted to cover this up by calling it a terrorist attack, it would have made more sense to do it on the anniversary of 9/11. By doing so they would have gotten away with it in the mundane world because the ensuing panic would have covered up any scandal that happens in this world. At least a scandal that needed to be cleaned up by erasing memories or what not."

Several people pondered what he said while Thomas raised an eyebrow at his fellow Alpha.

"When did you get so smart?" Thomas said in mock confusion though his lips twitched slightly. Embry merely rolled his eyes at Thomas.

"I do have a brain you know." He grumbled somewhat good naturedly. Thomas smirked at him.

"You mean you have a good tutor." Thomas corrected with a pointed look towards Irina. Embry smirked and nodded in agreement, pulling his mate into a short kiss. Out of the corner of his eye, Thomas saw his nephew making gagging motions along with his niece which caused him to laugh. His wife followed his gaze and chuckled. The others did the same except for Embry and Irina who frowned at their children.

Thomas noticed their looks and snorted, "What, you thought they would have found you two swallowing each other's faces adorable or something?" He demanded. "They're kids; they don't like seeing their parents being all lovey dovey with each other. That's one of the cardinal rules of parenting." When Embry wanted to open his mouth, Thomas cut him off. "That doesn't count Levitas and you know it. They were babies; not even born yet and they were learning how to use their powers. They also couldn't help but be curious."

"Um excuse me?" Susan nervously began and both men turned to her.

"Yes Lady Lestrange?" They asked and Susan made a face.

"Please call me Susan," She murmured. Despite finding out that Bellatrix Lestrange was manipulated by her husband through their mutual like of Dark magic and that the reason she attacked the Longbottom's was out of grief for the death of her child; Susan still felt that it was wrong to be addressed in such away. She had no regrets about marrying Neville but she still couldn't wrap her head around the fact that her name was Lestrange now.

"Yes Susan?" Thomas and Embry both asked.

"May I ask what you two are talking about?" She said politely.

"Oh I was just referring to the time when our children asked us about sex," Thomas murmured and Susan's eyebrows almost disappeared into her hair line. The others in her group had similar expressions. Artorius was trying very hard not to laugh but Wilfred and Bertram cackled like Hyenas. Jen and Maddie felt their lips twitch but kept their laughter inward. The older lords and ladies in attendance wore bemused expressions.

"You explained sex to them when they were still in the womb?" Hannah Longbottom said with no small amount incredulity.

"They forced the issue," Embry shrugged. He stopped talking so Thomas picked up the story.

"My children and my niece and nephew are incredibly gifted," Thomas murmured to them. "Tristan is a telepath; meaning he can enter someone's mind and communicate with them. He doesn't use it liberally," He added quickly and in slightly harsh tone when he saw the opposite group exchange looks. Thomas knew that those looks were filled with suspicion; like the group thought that Tristan was spying on them.

"In fact he makes it a point to only use it if necessary. He linked the thoughts of his brother and cousin together and one day, after going through my wife's memories, they uh came across a rather revealing situation. Several of them actually." He added with a look towards Irina and Embry. Both of them just shrugged. Sure at the time it was embarrassing but they had gotten over it. "Before we could properly explain, one of our cousins had opened his big mouth and said that it was just us showing our mates a good time." He finished with a slight huff.

"Let me guess, Emmett?" Bertram grinned and snorted when Thomas nodded. "I like him, he's a funny guy."

"If you say so." Thomas said dryly before continuing with the story, "Anyway we explained to them what it was and that they should only do it when they're grown up."

"And in love." Embry threw out. Thomas gave him a look that said 'you're one to talk' before he started speaking.

"Though we might have to rephrase that statement," Thomas went on.

"Why is that?" Daphne asked him and Thomas looked at his children who were pretending that they were oblivious though Tristan had filled in his pack mates and the imprints on some parts of the conversation.

"Tell me; how old do they look?" He asked the room at large. Those who already knew about vampire hybrids kept quiet while those who didn't pondered the question.

"Your boys are at least eleven years old by the look of them," Blaise Zabini said slowly to Thomas and Tanya. "Your daughter is the same," He added to Embry and Irina. "The younger ones are at least six and what, two?" He asked his wife who nodded in agreement. The others did as well.

"What if I were to tell you that the older children are a little over a year old," Thomas began. "My daughter is only four months and that my nephew is over three weeks old and will experience a massive growth spurt soon?" When he finished speaking the others just stared at him like he was crazy.

"You're barmy," Draco muttered. "Absolutely barmy." His mother gave him a look though she did agree with him somewhat. Similar thoughts ran through the minds of those in the British group.

"Far from it actually," Thomas retorted cheerfully. "Our children are half vampire; a species of vampire that is vastly different than the one you have encountered."

"We don't burn up in the sunlight but we can't go out anyway," Tanya picked up the explanation. "We don't eat, we don't sleep and most of us are unable to have children. I suppose the only thing we do have in common with the other species is that we can be destroyed by fire." She murmured and added when she saw Hermione raise her hand, "Yes?"

"You said that most of you are unable to have children…" Hermione trailed off but Tanya understood what she was trying to say.

"It is near impossible for our kind to have children," Tanya began. "Until a few years ago, I thought the only way for a vampire to have something close to a child was to turn one. An act that was and still is forbidden."

"Vampires used to change children?" Hermione gasped and the others looked disgusted.

"If you mean all vampires then no, we did not." Kate said curtly and with a touch of coldness. Her eyes had narrowed toward the window as she tried to fight memories off her mother's death. It took Kate a long time to forgive her mother but she made a promise that she wouldn't let those memories get to her. Irina and Tanya flinched at Kate's tone and the memories that played in their minds. "The price for breaking that law is death not only for the offending vampire but their coven if they have one and if they were knowledgeable of the crime." Kate went on after clenching and unclenching her jaw.

"You know someone who broke this law," Harry stated. "Someone who was very close to each of you."

Kate turned ever so slowly to regard him, her eyes were still narrowed but they were black now as opposed to gold.

"My mother created an immortal child," Kate said coldly. Garrett tightened his hold on her and Jasper sent waves of calm through out the room. "She decided to break one of the most important laws in our world and it got her killed!" She hissed out. "Do you know what it's like to watch as the person who helped raise you is shredded into pieces and thrown into a fire?!" She demanded heatedly and Harry shook his head slowly, trying not to anger her further. His hand slowly inched towards his wand though thinking he could at least hit her with a stunner if things got to out of hand.

"Kate," Thomas said in a warning tone as he tightened his grip on his now still mate. Embry did the same and narrowed his eyes at Kate. Kate pointedly ignored them.

"Let me tell you then," She said to Harry. "It is painful beyond comprehension; and there is no relief from it. It doesn't help when you find out that the person you once called mother betrayed the very ideals that she taught you and you could get no explanation for it because you just watched them die!" She snarled through her teeth.

"**Kate!**" Embry and Thomas growled in their Alpha voices. Their eyes shone with spirit energy, their teeth elongated into wolf fangs, and their nails became claws. Kate whipped her head towards them, ready to lash out but stopped herself when she saw how still her sisters were. It was then she realized how far she just took it and her mouth closed with an audible click.

The tension in the room began to build despite Jasper's efforts to change it. Kate hung her head in shame and apology.

"I'm sorry," She murmured to her sisters who still hadn't moved. In fact not too many people did but they were staring at Thomas and Embry with a little bit of fear. "I'm sorry." Kate repeated.

Thomas turned to Claudius who met his gaze without hesitation. Thomas then gazed to the privacy dome where his children were standing, looking at them anxiously. Claudius understood and waved his hand so the dome could fall. The second it did all the children ran to Kate, Irina, or Tanya. David and Sasha went to their mother. Tristan went to Kate and Erik and Minerva went to Tanya. All of them hugged each of the women, murmuring words of comfort. All three vampires slowly began to hug them back.

"That wouldn't have worked you know," Thomas commented to Harry after the silence dragged on for a few more moments. Harry turned to him and frowned in confusion. "Your plan to stun my sister in law," Thomas clarified over the growl that Garrett emitted. "It wouldn't have worked."

Harry blinked at Thomas owlishly, wondering how he knew but then he figured that Thomas probably saw something with his gift.

"Most spells don't work on vampires," Thomas continued. "Including what you call the Unforgiveables."

The magicals that didn't know about that little fact felt their jaws drop, even those who usually kept their composure.

"What?" Daphne squeaked before clearing her throat. Harry stared at his wife in amazement as that was the first time he ever heard her squeak. "I'm sorry but what?" She said to Thomas.

"I said most spells don't work on vampires," Thomas repeated. "Including the three Unforgiveables."

"Even the killing curse?" Neville asked in a slightly awed tone.

"Can't kill someone who's already dead," Jasper dryly replied. "Physically at least."

"The killing curse does not harm the body," Artorius said as he noticed many perplexed looks in the room. "It actually separates the soul from it; that's what many theorize about it anyway. With their branch of vampire," He nodded towards the vampires in attendance. "Their bodies are practically resistant to magic and their souls are intact; but they are classified as dead because their hearts no longer beat."

"All that would have happened would be that your stunner was absorbed into Kate's skin," Thomas murmured. "That is; if you could get passed this." He waved his hand from one side to the other and a wall of spirit energy erected in front of his group.

"What is that?" Tracey asked, eyeing the wall critically.

"A field of spirit energy," Bertram grinned. "When Thomas ascended he gained a secondary power; a force field that is practically impenetrable. He hasn't come across anything that can break through it," He added as the wall disappeared. "But he feels the attacks none the less."

"The field is an extension of me," Thomas added to the explanation. "I can contort it to anyway that I want but on the flip side; I feel what hit's it. So far nothing's been able to break it but I'd rather not find out what could." He finished with a shrug as ran one hand through his wife's hair and rubbed his daughter's back with the other.

"You can even block the Unforgiveables?" Draco asked him and Thomas nodded. "Well I'll be damned." Draco muttered to his wife who nodded her head.

"Why don't you give them a taste of what you can do, little brother," Thomas murmured to Embry who nodded. Thomas asked him to do so because he wanted to take the attention away from his wife and her sisters.

Embry pointed towards a glass vase filled with flowers. The vase lifted slowly into the air. Embry lifted the flowers out, and the water that covered them fell back into the vase. He sent a flower to each of the women in the room and placed the vase on the coffee table that was in front of them.

"Well I was going to give one to each of my girls," Embry explained when he saw all the raised eyebrows he was getting. "I didn't want to leave the rest of you out of the loop."

The women beamed at him but Thomas stared at him suspiciously.

"Ok who are you and what have you done with the real Embry Call?" He demanded and several people snickered. "You were never this considerate." Thomas continued.

"People can change," Embry pointed out. "Especially if they have a good reason too." He stared at his mate with nothing but love and adoration.

"Well then I maintain that Irina is a miracle worker," Thomas murmured with a smile. Embry just shrugged but smiled none the less. "Anymore questions?" Thomas asked the group.

"Um, can we talk about, the Volturi was it?" Narcissa asked and Thomas sighed softly but nodded. "May we talk about them?"

"What would you like to know?" Thomas asked her though that question was open to anyone.

"Whatever you wish to reveal to us." Narcissa replied simply.

"Well," Thomas began. "As I mentioned before they were in power for over three thousand years. They destroyed a lot covens in their reign; including the Egyptians and the Romanians who ruled the vampire world long before them.

"They gathered many allies to accomplish this. Whether they were allies who joined by their own volition or not I do not know." Seeing many frowns of confusion, Thomas continued, "They had a member of their honor guard who could affect where your allegiances lie. She could make you loyal to them and break your previous bonds if she wanted to. She couldn't break the bonds between mates or those who didn't practice the traditional diet."

"You mean human blood," Blaise stated and Thomas nodded at him. "Is that why some of you have gold eyes?" He asked the vampires who nodded. He turned to Fred who sighed.

"Yes red eyes equal human blood," Fred muttered with a roll of his eyes. "Don't worry; I find none of you appealing."

"Oddly enough that's not very reassuring." Blaise muttered and Fred shrugged. Fred had tried his hand at the vegetarian lifestyle but he couldn't maintain it. He felt like he was tasting slop as opposed to a rare wine. He wanted to do it for Amanda because she was part human and was dedicated to being a doctor/healer. Amanda told him however, that if it wasn't something that he didn't want to then he shouldn't force himself to do it.

"Eh don't worry Fred's nothing more than a teddy bear," Embry grinned and Amanda giggled at the face her mate was making. "It's Garrett you need to worry about," Embry continued and Garrett narrowed his eyes at him. "He doesn't like the English very much."

"You know very well that's not true," Garrett grumbled to Embry before talking to the other group. "I was turned during the Revolutionary War," He explained. "I fought alongside the rebels against the British crown. Despite that I do not hate the English. It would be hypocritical of me to do so because both my parents, like all of the colonists, had English blood pumping through their veins. So no I do not hate the English." He finished with a glare towards Embry.

"And yet you hate the Beatles." Thomas threw out and Garrett growled at him.

"I hate Beatle mania." Garrett snapped. "All those women screaming and running around; bah! It was very annoying and besides they're not even that good."

Thomas and Embry gave over dramatic gasps of outrage, much to the amusement of their kids and the others in the room.

"You take that back!" They yelled in unison and a few of the kids began to laugh. "This isn't funny children." Embry mock chided them.

"Yes this is an act against nature!" Thomas added. "Against humanity even!"

"Oh shut up you fools!" Garret snapped at them over the laughter that ensued.

"You wound us with your insults brother." Thomas and Embry mock pouted while holding a hand over their hearts. The kids started laughing again while Garrett rolled his eyes.

"Unbelievable." He muttered. "I believe they are waiting for you to finish your history lesson." He nodded to the group that sat across from them.

"Good point," Thomas nodded and continued with his explanation of the Volturi. "Like I said they had an honor guard member who could switch your allegiances." He said. "She was talented and it was through her that the Volturi had the numbers to wage war on those who ruled before them.

"The ruling force of the Egyptians included roughly 8 coven members, 50 honor guards and indefinite amount of recruits. Did I miss anything?" He turned to Benjamin for clarification. Benjamin shook his head. "Good. Oh Benjamin was apart of an Egyptian coven," he explained when people looked between the two of them. "Same goes for his mate, Tia." He nodded to the other Egyptian vampire. "They're from a different chapter I guess you could say. Benjamin's sire, Amun, was one of the original members of the ancient coven. He and his…companion ran after they heard that the Volturi were out to destroy their coven.

"The Volturi had already destroyed most of the Romanian coven and the Egyptians were next. The Volturi were smart," Thomas admitted grudgingly. "They gathered many gifted vampires and used them to their advantage."

"Gifted vampires?" Astoria asked.

"Vampires with special abilities." Thomas explained. "You want to take this one?" He asked Eleazar.

"Certainly," Eleazar nodded. "When one becomes a vampire –in our branch at least- sometimes you bring a certain quality or skill set with you and sometimes it culminates into a talent. Depending on what it is and how strong it is when you are human, it can be very powerful and very common or weak and different. Some of the most common talents are tracking and shielding."

"Tracking and shielding?" Hermione asked him.

"Tracking involves looking or feeling out the location of someone or something," Eleazar explained. "Like a hunter trying to find its prey or a magnet being attracted to something metallic. The weakest tracker I've ever heard about was a vampire called James. He was very…"

"Harsh in his methods," Thomas finished with a scowl. "He couldn't really feel the presence of those he was looking for but he was pretty good at predicting their movements by getting a whiff of their scent. He didn't find his target right away but he never lost them."

"You sound like you knew him." Harry commented and Thomas' scowl deepened.

"I didn't know him personally," Thomas said through gritted teeth. "But I know what he tried to do to a friend of mine while she was human. And he also did something to my little Pixie Pire over there." He nodded to Alice who scowled along with Jasper. Alice couldn't remember her human life but she knew that some of her family had survived and had children. She also knew that it was because of James that she didn't get to meet her sire and entered her new life without guidance. "Frankly, if I ever had the chance I would have helped destroy him."

"Was he really that bad?" Draco asked him and Thomas looked over at him.

"Do you have a weak stomach?" Thomas asked back. Draco frowned in confusion but shook his head. "Then why don't I show you how bad it was." He turned to Claudius. "Do you have a pensive?" He asked and Claudius nodded before waving his hand. A stone basin with intricate designs appeared in the center of the room. "Does it project the memory?"

"You just have to tap the rune on the side of it." Claudius pointed to a symbol that looked like a trident. "Should the young ones leave?" He asked Thomas who looked thoughtful.

"Well they," He gestured to his children, his niece, and his nephew. "Are fortunately or unfortunately, depending on how you want to look at it, familiar with the destruction of vampires and the methods that accomplish that task. Despite that; I don't feel comfortable with them watching this."

"Dad/ Uncle Thomas!" The kids whined in unison.

"Kids," Thomas began. "What I'm about to show them involves your aunt Bella and its…not pleasant."

"But aunt Bella-"Minerva began with a frown before her face cleared. "Aunt Bella was the human you were talking about." She said and Thomas nodded. "Did uncle Edward get the bad vampire?" She asked him.

"No." Thomas said and she pouted. "Your aunt Alice, your uncle Jasper, and your uncle Emmett did."

Minerva perked up and beamed at Alice and Jasper who smiled back.

"Well what are we supposed to do?" Tristan asked.

"There's a game room down the hall," Bertram said. "You guys can go play if you like." He offered.

"That sounds like a great idea." Thomas murmured.

"Fine." The older kids grumbled before sighing.

"We'll take them," Artemis said as she gestured to her cousins who nodded. "Then we'll come right back."

"We'll stay with them." Poseidon said with Angela and Aphrodite nodding along with his words. "You can fill us in later."

Thomas, Tanya, Irina, and Embry nodded in agreement. As they began to leave the room, Thomas walked over to Artorius.

"I need your help with extracting the memory." He murmured when Artorius raised his eyebrows. "I'll need your help with several actually."

The lion animagus nodded his head and got out of his seat. He held his index finger to his cousin's temple.

"Do you know what to do?" Artorius asked.

"I have to think about the memory, right?" Thomas asked and Artorius nodded. Thomas closed his eyes and thought about what he saw about James and his coven. Artorius began to extract the memories and he placed them into the pensive.

When Artemis, Tiberius, and Drusilla came back into the room, Artorius tapped the rune that his father mentioned and the memories began to play.


	7. Discussion part Two

The first memory that emerged out of the pensive took place in a clearing. The Cullen Clan including a human Bella Swan stood around a make shift baseball diamond.

"These are the rest of the Cullen's," Thomas said. "That's Carlisle and his mate, Esme." He pointed to a man with blonde hair that was wearing a baseball jersey and playing with a baseball bat. He then pointed to a woman with caramel color hair who was putting on a baseball cap. "That's Rosalie and the giant man bear is her mate Emmett." He pointed to a blonde woman in a purple jacket and man in a purple track suit. "You already know Jasper and Alice." Said people smiled. "And finally we have Edward and his mate Bella who was human at the time." He pointed at a bronze haired man and an auburn haired woman.

Thomas noticed that a few people stiffened when he said Bella but he didn't comment. Several people that attended Hogwarts around the same time as Harry thought that Edward looked a lot like Cedric Diggory. They also thought that this group was just as gorgeous as the one in the room with them; more so in the case of Rosalie.

"All of you are going to play baseball?" Jen asked and Alice and Jasper nodded. "In that weather?" She added as she eyed the stormy overcast in the memory.

"There was no chance of rain," Alice chirped. "And we needed the thunder."

"Did you check the weather reports?" Hermione asked her.

"Nope," Alice popped the 'P' sound. "I already knew that it wouldn't rain."

Hermione frowned before her face cleared, "You can see the future." She commented and Alice just nodded her head.

"I'll explain more later." Alice promised and Hermione nodded.

They watched as the Cullen's began to get into position. They saw Esme pull Bella close to her and lead her to home base. Esme was asking Bella to help be the umpire for the game.

_"She thinks we cheat,"_ They heard Emmett say.

_"I know you cheat."_ Esme retorted. _"Call them as you see them Bella." _She added as she took her position.

_"Okay."_ Bella said meekly.

Rosalie took her position at bat and did a few practice swings. Edward stood in left filed. Carlisle and Jasper were standing off to the side. Emmett was hyping himself up as thunder began to rumble.

_"It's time."_ Memory Alice announced.

After one more swing, Rosalie nodded to let Alice know that she was ready. Alice put her hands behind her head, brought them down, lifted up her left leg, drew her right hand back then threw the ball. Those who had somewhat limited sight couldn't really follow the ball but they did hear the bat and the ball connect.

"So that's why you need the thunder." Jen muttered to herself.

_"Ok I see why you need the thunder_," Bella murmured to Esme as she squinted to see the ball. _"That's got be a home run right?"_ She added as Edward sprinted after the ball.

_"Edward's very fast."_ Esme said with a slight shake of her head.

"An understatement if I ever heard one." Embry muttered to Thomas who stifled a laugh at the look on his fellow Alpha's face. Embry and Edward had a friendly race a while back and Embry was a close second. It's not that Embry hated that he lost; it was more of the fact that he lost while Edward was holding back. Embry was fast in his own right thanks to his ascension but Edward was faster while Demetri was even faster than the two of them.

"I probably should have asked you to slow it down," Thomas said to Artorius. "But don't worry the person of interest will show himself soon." He finished as he saw Rosalie slide into home and Bella said she was out.

"Er do they not get along?" Astoria asked as she saw Rosalie glare at Bella while Emmett was trying to calm her down by reminding her that it was just a game.

"Rosalie didn't really like Bella back then," Thomas explained. "She felt that her relationship with Edward was wrong despite the fact they are mates. Humans are not supposed to know about vampires," He added as he watched Carlisle hit the ball and ran to first base. "Edward…accidentally revealed his secret when he saved Bella's life prior to this get together. To be fair to him though; no one in their right mind would let their mate be killed."

He said nothing else as Jasper took a swing next. He hit the ball and Emmett went after it.

_"My monkey man."_ Rosalie smiled after Emmett bounded his way up a tree and caught the ball before throwing it to home base.

"We should play sometime." Bertram said to Thomas as Rosalie went to bat again.

"Well Mr. Ed," Thomas began as a few people snickered when Bertram let out an indignant whinny. "If we ever get the chance to play; we'll make sure to go easy on you." He patted Bertram's shoulder and Bertram bared his teeth. Thomas merely chuckled along with Embry but they stopped when the saw the look of horror on Alice's face in the memory.

_"Stop!"_ She yelled. Edward's face snapped to hers along with everyone else except Edward started to look behind him, towards a rolling fog. All the Cullen's on the field began to run towards home plate. _"They were leaving but then they heard us!"_ Alice said frantically to Edward and the others. _"Oh god I'm so sorry I didn't see them until it was too late!"_

"There were nomads in the area," Alice explained flatly before anyone could ask. "They killed a few people in Seattle and in the town we were staying in at the time. They were leaving the area but they heard us playing and decided to investigate."

"It's not your fault," Thomas said as he placed a hand on her shoulder. "Our gifts are not without flaws and you didn't have any control over the situation."

Alice smiled gratefully at him along with Jasper. All three of them turned back to the memory.

_"Let's go."_ Edward told Bella but he was interrupted by Carlisle.

_"It's too late son."_ He said and Edward froze in his spot before turning to Bella.

_"Get your hair down,"_ He told her and she frowned before complying.

_"Like that'll help,"_ Rosalie sneered at him. _"I can smell her from across the field."_

Edward ignored her but it didn't matter as Rosalie joined the others who started to form a line of defense. The memory shifted to show three people emerging from the fog. There were two men and a woman. The man out in front had a dark complexion and was well muscled. He had dreads that went down his back and a goatee. He was wearing an orange jacket, no shirt, and a pair of jeans. He was easily the more handsome of the two men.

The other man had dirty blonde hair that was in a small pony tail. He was wearing a faded brown jacket and jeans. He had a fair complexion and some very nondescript features. The only woman in the group had a white fur coat, a green shirt and pair of black leather pants. Unlike the other two, she wasn't wearing any footwear. She also had a wild mass of fiery red hair that had leaves in it.

Thomas and Embry were already tense through out the moment but they hissed when they saw Laurent and James and growled when they saw Victoria. Jasper snarled when he saw James and Alice squeezed his hand to calm him down.

"Sorry," Thomas said when he saw some people flinch away from them. "We had some personal experience with one of them that we could have done without."

"Likewise." Jasper said.

Irina had tensed when she saw Laurent but Embry pulled him close to her and she cuddled into him.

_"Bella I'm so sorry,"_ Edward said. _"I shouldn't have brought you here."_

A few people that knew Edward rolled their eyes, thinking that him apologizing for something that wasn't his fault was typical behavior for him. Hermione and a few others thought that Harry and Edward were very similar in that regard.

_"What? What are you-"_Bella began but Edward cut her off.

_"Just please be quiet and stay behind me."_ He told her quietly as he led her to their line.

The three nomads floated over to the Cullen's as if they hadn't a care in the world though as they got closer, they started to move more cautiously.

"They were afraid weren't they?" Thomas asked Jasper after he glanced at him for a moment.

"They felt threatened," Jasper confirmed. "Can't really blame them though; most Nomads avoid covens altogether especially one of our size."

"How do you know how they felt," Draco asked Jasper. "Are you good at reading other vampires?"

"He should be considering that he's an empath," Thomas said off handedly. "I'll explain later I promise; for now how about we finish this." He gestured to the memory and the others nodded.

They watched as James and Victoria scanned the Cullen's with their deep burgundy colored eyes. Laurent smiled when he stopped and held up the baseball that Rosalie hit.

_"I believe this belongs to you," _Laurent said in slight French accent and he tossed the ball towards Carlisle who caught it and smiled slightly.

_"Thank you,"_Carlisle murmured.

_"My name is Laurent,"_ Laurent introduced himself. _"And this Victoria,"_ He gestured to her and she smirked as her eyes scanned the group in front of her. _"And James."_ James cocked his head slightly to left as he looked at the group.

"He looks very normal," Hermione commented. "He's not as…"

"Good looking as the others?" Tanya asked her when she trailed off. Hermione nodded. "That's probably because he was ugly when he was human. Powers aren't the only things that a human brings with them when they change." She added when Hermione blinked at her. "Their physical appearance is the most affected regardless if they have powers or not. The more beautiful the person is, the more beautiful they will be as a vampire. The uglier you look the more normal they will be as a vampire." Hermione nodded in understanding and they both turned back to the memory.

_"My name is Carlisle and this is my family,"_ Carlisle pointed to each of them as he said their names._ "Emmett, Jasper, Rosalie, Esme, Alice, Edward and Bella."_

_"Hello."_ Laurent greeted them with another smile. The Cullen's inclined their heads slightly.

_"I'm afraid that your hunting activities have caused something of a mess for us,"_Carlisle told them politely.

_"Our apologies, we didn't realize that the territory had been claimed."_ Laurent said honestly.

"Was he lying?" Thomas asked Jasper who shook his head.

"He was telling the truth," Jasper murmured. "And he really was sorry about causing us trouble."

"I noticed that you said that _he_ was sorry," Blaise commented and Jasper shrugged slightly.

"The others cared less about killing the humans," The Empath explained. "But they knew that we had every right to destroy them for encroaching on our territory so they were slightly contrite."

Thomas snorted at the thought of James and Victoria being even close to contrite. Neither of them was capable of something like that.

_"Yes well,"_ Carlisle began. _"We maintain a permanent residence nearby."_

_"Really?"_ Laurent asked in surprise and a little bit of humor as if the idea amused him. He glanced at his fellow Nomads who looked like they didn't quite grasp what Carlisle was saying. Like the idea of staying in one place was a foreign concept to them_. "Well,"_ Laurent continued, _"We won't be a problem any more, we were just passing through."_

_"The humans were tracking us,"_ Victoria said in an unnaturally high voice._ "But we lead them to the East." _She leaned in and stage whispered, _"You should be safe."_

_Sweet Merlin what is wrong with her voice?! _Several people thought but didn't say anything out loud as they were enthralled with the memory. So far James didn't seem that menacing; none of them did but they were going to wait and see what happened.

Thomas shook his head when he heard Victoria speak. He thought something was wrong with his gift when he heard her speak so he didn't really think about it at the time. Even during the newborn battle he had trouble believing that was her voice.

_"Excellent,"_Carlisle inclined his head with a small smile.

_"So, could you use three more players?"_ Laurent asked conversationally. The Cullen's looked towards Carlisle but he remained quite. _"Oh come on."_ Laurent cajoled. _"Just one game."_

_"Sure, why not,"_ Carlisle said with a little unease though he played it off as best as he could. _"Some of us were leaving; you can take their place. We'll bat first."_

He tossed the ball towards Laurent but Victoria caught it without taking her eyes off of Carlisle.

_"I'm the one with the wicked curve ball,"_ She purred dangerously.

_"Oh I think we can handle that,"_ Memory Jasper countered playfully and Laurent made a noise of anticipation and James smiled slightly. Several other members of the Cullen clan made noises of agreement and turned to get ready.

_"We'll see,"_Victoria muttered to Laurent with a smirk as they began to walk away. James didn't move; he just watched the group for a moment, eyeing Bella and Edward curiously.

"Don't vampires have good hearing?" Teddy asked.

"They do but the storm was covering Bella's heartbeat," Thomas answered but Teddy's spoken question and his unspoken one. "As there was no wind, and since she was near a large group of vampires, her smell was covered though her scent was extremely potent at times."

He shrugged and turned back to the memory as James began to walk away. He stopped as a small breeze passed them. He closed his eyes, threw his head back, and inhaled Bella's pleasant scent. When his eyes were open they were pitch black with hunger and he flared his nostrils. He gave Edward a sardonic grin.

_"So you brought a snack,"_ He murmured as Edward pushed Bella behind him. James hissed and crouched while Edward snarled. The rest of the family flashed over to him and Bella and hissed at James. The supernatural beings watching the memory growled or hissed at his words.

_"A human?" _Laurent said incredulously as he crouched next to James. Victoria was on the others side of James and she eyed every single one of the Cullen's.

Harry, his friends, and his family were shocked at the level of ferocity that was on Edward's face. Not too long before they had seen him smiling, having a good time even. But now in his place stood an enraged demon that looked like he was ready to kill. They all made mental notes never to upset him.

_"She is with us,"_ Carlisle said in a firm tone. His face wasn't as fierce as his family but it was set with a determined expression. _"I think it's best if you leave." _He said to Laurent as he was the one who made it seem that he lead this group.

_"I can see that the game is over,"_ Laurent said after a small beat of silence while James stared at Bella who was frozen in her spot. _"We will go now." _Laurent added while holding his hands up in surrender. _"James,"_ He called as he backed away but the tracker didn't move from his spot immediately.

When he did he gave a slight smirk towards Edward and moved away from the group. Victoria followed them and James threw an arm around her as he turned his back on the group thinking that nothing was going to happen. Laurent still faced them with his hands up but after a while he turned around and they all flitted away.

_"Get Bella out of here,"_ Carlisle told Edward, _"Go, now."_

The memory started to fade as Alice, Edward, Emmett lead Bella away.

"He wasn't their leader was he," Harry said then clarified, "Laurent, he wasn't their leader."

"No," Thomas shook his head. "That coven was lead by James. Victoria was his mate and Laurent was their friend. They just pretended that Laurent was the leader as he was the more civilized one of the group. I'm actually surprised that they didn't kill each other. Most Nomadic covens only have two members." He explained when people looked at him questioningly. "They're usually a mated pair, really close friends or siblings but three is very unheard of which is why I said that I was surprised.

"I was especially surprised because those who stick to the traditional diet have a very hard time getting along with others who do. Most traditional covens have two to four members but there are extremely rare cases where they have more. My wife and her coven-"

"_Our _coven." Tanya corrected him with narrowed eyes.

"I'm not a vampire so technically-"Thomas began but Tanya cut him off again.

"You are my mate," She growled. "That is more than enough reason to consider you a member of this coven." She glared at him, daring at him to challenge her.

"I do consider myself to be apart of this coven," Thomas told her. "But others won't; especially those who do not understand our bond."

"That is their problem, not ours." Tanya said softly as she began to bury her face into his neck. Thomas sighed in both content and exasperation but he continued with his explanation.

"Our coven and Carlisle's are the biggest thus far," He said. "Animal blood makes vampires more civil and allows them to form familial bonds with others."

"Do you have a hard time around those who drink human blood?" Narcissa asked.

"Was that question for me or…" Thomas trailed off with raised eyebrows.

"Any of you." Narcissa said.

"For me, I have a hard time with those who kill for fun or for sport," Thomas said truthfully. "I understand that vampires need blood to survive, but I don't think that any of them need to kill people for no reason if they don't have to. I also understand that animal blood is not easy to take too; especially if you have been on a traditional diet for so long or don't have a strong enough reason to stop.

"Some of my best friends do drink human blood but they don't take pride in doing it and only drink what they need to. They don't kill innocent people and those they do kill aren't exactly people I feel sorry for." Several people looked at him in surprise so he added, "They gave up their right to live when they chose to ruin the lives of others. I would have felt sorry for them if they were repentant but they didn't care about their victims and felt that they did nothing wrong. Why should I care about them?" Thomas had seen some of these people beg for their lives but when their victims were mentioned, they said that it was something that needed to be done, something that was necessary. He felt angered by their behavior but let it go after they were killed.

"I agree with my brother," Embry said after there was a few beats of silence. "Not just because he is my brother; but because he makes a great point. When we became what we are, we were told that it was our duty to protect our tribe, the Quileute, and any other human from vampires. A lot of us took that to heart in the beginning and we never really questioned it and we should have.

"The world is not just black and white; there are massive amounts grey in between. By that token; not all vampires are vicious monsters who have little regard for human life and not all humans are innocent. I don't have it in me to take the life of a human though I am very capable of it. That doesn't mean that I have to save a group of punks who would have no problem with beating on a defenseless person, or a drug dealer who sells crack to children, or some bastard who rapes women nor does it mean I will hate my friends for killing them.

"Like Thomas said; they gave up their right to live when they ruined the lives of others."

Thomas gave Embry a small grin and Embry grinned back.

"Well said you too," Amanda said. "And I agree." She added as she grabbed Fred's hand in support. Others murmured their agreement and Narcissa nodded in understanding along with many others. They didn't like senseless killing but if a vampire killed someone to make sure that they never willingly hurt anyone ever again, they would understand that decision.

"This next memory is short but it gives you an idea of how James follows his prey. You may want to slow it down a bit so you can follow." Thomas nodded to Artorius who tapped the rune on the pensive again and the next began to play. Artorius waved his hand after a he saw things blur past a few trees. The images slowed down to reveal Emmett, Rosalie, and Edward. "Their spreading Bella's scent around," Thomas explained. "James apparently had several plans in place after he encountered Bella's scent so Jasper and Alice took her away from the area while the rest of the Cullen's protected Bella's father and lead James on a wild goose chase."

They watched as Rosalie rubbed Bella's jacket against a tree before sprinting away. James came into the picture and sniffed the tree before leaning against it and hitting it with a growl of frustration.

"He knows that he's been played." Draco said unnecessarily.

James ran back in the direction that he came from and the three members' of the Cullen clan stopped.

_"He knows,"_ Edward said in horrified tone. _"He knows that she's not here."_

As they ran to regroup, the memory faded.

"Damn, you weren't kidding when you said that it was short." Bertram said. "And he wasn't really good at hunting now was he."

"He was better than most," Thomas murmured. "Not everyone can be good at tracking; it's something you are gifted in or not. Edward tried using his gift to read minds to do it and he had a difficult time with it. Again I will explain later on," He added when people raised their eyebrows at him. "But we must continue," He hesitated for a second," This next memory will be very difficult to watch but it will explain the animosity we felt towards James."

He paused for a moment and spoke again.

"Before this took place, James asked Victoria to go to ForksHigh School," Thomas started. "It was the school that Bella was attending at the time and she got the information that James needed. He…tricked Bella into thinking that he had her mother as a hostage." This comment was met with many gasps, some in surprise others in outrage. "He had overheard her saying to her father that she was going to visit her mother. He didn't think that she would go but he was pleased that she did. He called her and made her agree to meet him alone."

Alice put her head into her hands and Jasper pulled her into his lap. They never forgave themselves for letting Bella out of their sights but they honestly thought that she wouldn't do anything like that. Thomas stared at her sadly.

"You didn't know my little Pixie Pire," He ran a hand across her back to comfort her. "Bella was so smart and so stupid to do what she did but I don't blame her for doing it. I'd have done the same; even when I was still human. I should have helped all of you but I didn't know if you would believe me."

The others who didn't know about the tense history between the Quileute and Cullen's frowned but didn't comment. Something Thomas was grateful for as he needed to focus on what was coming up. Thomas nodded to Artorius and the memory began to play.

Bella entered a ballet studio and she heard her mother's voice. She ran frantically to a closet door and opened it. In the closet was a TV that showed a young Bella being comforted by her mother.

They heard someone laughing and Bella turned around to see James standing right there.

_"That's my favorite part,"_ He commented while nodding to the video. _"You were stubborn child weren't you?" _He added as he moved closer to Bella.

_She still is, _Several people thought but didn't say anything out loud.

_"She's not even here,"_ Bella stated and James shook his head.

_"I am sorry about tricking you Bella,"_ James said and man people snorted in derision.

"Sorry my ass," Bertram muttered to his girlfriend who nodded in agreement.

_"But don't you see that its better that your mother is not involved,"_ James said in a courteous and kind voice.

_"Yes,"_ Bella said in a voice that was saturated with relief.

_"You don't sound very angry," _James told Bella as he looked at her curiously.

_"I'm not,"_ Bella replied. Several people thought that she should be but those who knew her knew that she would sooner die before letting someone else she loved to get hurt.

_"How odd, you actually mean that."_ James said as he looked at Bella intently. He moved closer and pushed her slowly against the wall. This action brought many snarls from those who were watching. They wanted to shout at him to get away from her but had to remind themselves that it was a memory. _"I'll give your strange coven this much; you humans can be very interesting." _He continued. _"I suppose I can see the appeal of observing your kind. It's amazing really-some of you seem to have no sense of your own self-interest at all."_

He then proceeded to drone on about how he had his mate help him in laying this trap. He said was disappointing; that he expected more of a challenge from a coven as big as the Cullen's. James looked like he wanted to laugh when Bella said that she left Edward a letter mainly because he guessed that she asked him not to look for James.

_"Would you mind if I left a letter to your boyfriend, Edward, was it?"_ James took a step back and reached for a palm-sized video camera that was on top of a stereo. _"Oh I hope you don't mind, I borrowed this from your house." _He adjusted the frame a few times while Bella stared at him in horror.

"He's going to film this?" Harry grunted in disgust and Thomas chuckled without humor.

"What sadist wouldn't want to play with their victims before they could kill them?" He asked rhetorically. "And what better way to draw the attention of Edward?"

Harry said nothing but his hand twitched towards his wand. That action was mirrored by those who carried wands. Blaise, Draco, and Neville were glaring at the vampire in the memory. Their wives were trying to keep them calm but they were angry themselves. Teddy was growling and his eyes were the color of amber. Claudius, Cassius, and Wilfred White Senior pulled their wives close to them when they started to cry. Cassius also grabbed his sister who was shaking with barely suppressed rage.

Artorius, Bertram, and Wilfred were twitching in anger but they didn't move or say anything. Jen and Maddie were not that far behind with what they were feeling.

The Denali's mirrored their actions but they were beside themselves with anger especially Carmen who had come to view Bella as a sister. Tia placed a calming hand on her mate's arm when she noticed that the water in the room began to rise and wrap around his clenched fists.

Jasper was trying to calm everyone down but he was angry himself for not protecting Bella when he promised that he would. He felt a hand grasp his shoulder before he was smacked in the back of the head twice. His mate and his best friend had hit him because they could sense that he felt bad about what happened even though it wasn't his fault.

"You need to stop hanging around Edward," Thomas muttered to his empathic friend whose mate stifled a giggle that threatened to escape her mouth. Her humor was short lived as she saw the sadistic tracker grin at her sister in the memory.

_"We're good,"_ James said after he was finished with his adjustments. _"I'm sorry but I doubt that he will be able to resist hunting me after he watches this. This will show him that I did it for him and you were just caught in the cross fire. A human that was in the wrong place, at the wrong time and hanging out with the wrong crowd, I might add." _James smirked at Bella's discomfort. _"Oh yes, it will break Edward's little heart to know that it was his fault that this happened to you."_

Bella seemed to have found her voice so she spoke up.

_"You have…Edward has nothing to do with this!"_ She exclaimed and stepped forward but James pushed her back which caused many people to growl.

_"Oh but he does,"_ James told her. _"His rage will prove for more interesting sport than his pathetic attempts to protect you." _He paused and smiled at her. _"All of this could have been avoided had he done what should have been done. I was actually afraid that your boyfriend would ruin my fun earlier because I was thinking about a similar situation. It involved the only prey that ever escaped from me._

_"It happened ages ago you see. There was an older vampire who was very fond of this victim that I intended to claim. When he found out about my intentions he stole her from the asylum that he worked in. I will never understand the obsession some vampires feel for you humans,"_ He shook his head. _"Anyway, when the old one freed her he made the choice that your Edward was to weak to make; he made her into one of us. The poor thing probably never even felt the pain._

_"See over a hundred years ago she would have been burned at the stake like so many across the country; across the world even, for her visions."_ James explained and a few people had a feeling that they knew who he was talking about. _"In the nineteen-twenties the preferred method of dealing with someone like her was the insane asylum; complete with electro-shock therapy and a room with padded walls. Her eyes were strong in her vampiric youth; like she had never seen the sun or been through any trauma. The old one made her into a strong vampire and ruined my chance at a good meal," _He sighed and a fierce snarl tore through Jasper's lips. _"I destroyed the old fool for denying me my kill."_

_"Alice,"_ Bella breathed in astonishment. Those watching the memory and didn't know about Alice's history turned to future seeing vampire. She just smiled at them but made no comment.

_"Yes, your little friend,"_ James nodded. _"Imagine my surprise when I saw her in the clearing. I didn't say anything because I doubt it would have been appreciated, though I must admit that she smells just as good as she did before. Better than you in fact. I don't say that to be mean,"_ He added hastily. _"You smell very good but your floral scent is vastly different from her sugary one. Perhaps her coven can draw comfort from this experience. I get you and they get the one who got away. Your friend should feel honored; she's the only one that can lay claim to that."_

_Bella can claim that now too fucker,_ Alice thought viciously.

James paused and ran a hand across Bella's face with a curious expression. He lingered near her throat and her jaw line.

_"No,"_ He murmured as he dropped his hand. _"I will never understand." _He sighed and lifted up the camera. _"Now let's continue."_ He said. _"So I can leave your Edward and his family a very strong message with your broken body."_

Bella bit her lip and flicked her right wrist slightly. A small can of pepper spray appeared in her palm. She shifted for a moment before bringing her hand up and spraying James in the face. While James growled in irritation, Bella made a break for it. James spun around and jumped across the room before landing in front of Bella.

Bella gasped as James appeared in front of her. He gripped her right shoulder which caused her to cry out before he threw her across the hardwood floor and into a column. Several people winced in sympathy or whimpered when they heard her head hit the hard surface.

Bella sat up with a groan and she placed a hand in the back of her head. She brought it in front of her and there was a patch of blood in her palm.

_"Very beautiful,"_ James taunted her. _"This place is very visually stunning. I chose my stage well."_

He knelt in front of her and gripped her wrist. He leaned in to smell her blood.

_"It's too bad that he didn't have the strength to change you,"_ He murmured. _"You would have been glorious as a vampire. But instead of doing what was right he kept as this fragile little human. It's cruel and unusual."_

Then without warning; he snapped the bone in her right leg. Bella started screaming as did some of the women in the group that watched the memory. They turned away while the others watched in horror.

_"Tell Edward how much it hurts," _James encouraged Bella over her screaming while he held the camera. _"Tell him to avenge you. Tell him."_

_"No Edward don't!"_ Bella yelled while shaking her head.

_"Tell him,"_ James growled at her. _"Tell him!"_ He roared before he was shoved away from a blurred figure. James skidded across the floor before rolling upright then shifting into a crouch. He glared at the newcomer who was an enraged Edward Cullen. His face was even fiercer than the time in clearing as he hissed at James. He turned to Bella and his face crumpled in pain at the sight of her.

James took that moment to lunge at Edward with a growl and slammed him into the opposite column. The glass surrounding it cracked and fell to the floor when Edward's face hit it.

_"You're alone because you're faster than the others_," James commented before slamming Edward again. _"But you're not stronger."_

_"I'm strong enough to kill you," _Edward slapped James' arm away then kicked him into a mirror sending large shards of glass everywhere. He then flitted over to Bella and cradled her gently. He then murmured an apology and leapt towards the balcony that led to the second floor but James caught him by the ankle. James slammed Edward to the ground. Edward held onto Bella but when they landed Bella bounced of off Edward and landed into a pile of broken glass and a large piece punctured her thigh.

James, who still had a hold on Edward's ankle, threw him into a window as Bella removed the piece of glass from her thigh. Edward dangled from the outside of the window but propped himself up as James grabbed Bella's hand and bit into her wrist.

Many people gasped but said nothing as Edward pushed himself off of the wall and tackled James. Bella started grunting and groaning as her body twitched.

"What's wrong with Bella?" Teddy asked worriedly.

"James infected her with vampire venom." Thomas explained quickly as the floorboards were uprooted by the impact of James and Edward's struggle. "Her body is reacting that way because vampire venom burns a human as they go through the change."

Thomas said no more as Edward raised James up and threw him into the air. James landed on his feet, jumped towards the column behind him and jumped off of it in an attempt to get the upper hand. Edward was already in the air and caught James by his throat. They collided with the column and Edward shoved James through it.

They battled for dominance, deep growls rumbled in their chests. Finally Edward won and bit it James' neck, earning a shriek of pain from the tracker. Edward spat out the chunk that he had in his mouth. He held James with one hand and drew the other one back. A hand shot out and caught his arm.

_"Edward that's enough,"_ Came the soft voice of Carlisle as he appeared with Alice, Emmett, and Jasper flashing into the room. Alice danced over to Bella and tried to calm her down while Emmett and Jasper positioned themselves near Edward though they still kept a respectable distance. _"Son, that's enough. Remember who you are; this is not you." _Carlisle continued while Edward still looked like he wanted to hit something. _"Bella needs you."_ He added when Edward struggled to calm down.

_"It's ok,"_ Alice cooed to Bella. _"Oh god,"_ She added when she saw how much blood Bella was losing. _"Carlisle! Her blood."_ She said.

_"Your brothers will take care of him,"_ No sooner than the words left Carlisle's mouth Jasper and Emmett grabbed James who began to struggle.

_"I got him!"_ Emmett growled. _"Stop moving around you asshole." _He added when James still tried to break out of his hold.

_"Start a fire,"_ Carlisle told them. _"Use the floorboards but be careful."_ He rushed over to Bella as Jasper collected some pieces of the floorboards and lit one of them with a Zippo lighter.

_"Alice!"_ Jasper called for his mate when he grabbed one of James' arms while Emmett held the other.

_"Alice, go!"_Carlisle told her and she sprinted over to her mate and her brother. As Carlisle worked on Bella; Alice wrapped her tiny hands around James' head and tore it off. Jasper and Emmett ripped the rest of him apart as Alice threw his head into the fire.

Carlisle told Edward that she Bella was losing a lot of blood and the venom was starting to spread.

Edward began to suck the venom out of Bella after some debating with Carlisle and Alice about letting it spread.

"Don't worry Bella recovered from the attack," Thomas said as the memory began to fade. "How about we take a break to calm down?" He asked the shaken crowd who nodded in agreement. Artorius called for Dips and asked for some potions and beverages to help calm everyone down. Jasper sent out waves of calm to help the process.

After about fifteen minutes, Thomas called Artorius over to help extract the next set of memories.


	8. Discussion part Three

"Ok these memories are not as rough but they are significant." Thomas said after Artorius gave him back the other memories and took new ones. "But for what happened in between them, let me clarify a few things. Bella did not become a vampire then though she did consider it. Edward tried to tell her that he was no good for her," He paused to roll his eyes in exasperation along with Alice and Jasper. "But she is a very stubborn individual." He smirked. "And she convinced him that he shouldn't leave."

He paused to close his eyes before he continued.

"Edward never wanted her to be a vampire, despite her insistence to be one," He said. "He's never…reconciled with the fact that he needs to kill to survive. He considers himself a monster; something that was undeserving of her love." He rolled his eyes again. "But she wouldn't give up on him and wouldn't stop loving him." He smiled slightly.

"Their relationship was a bit bumpy in the beginning without crazed vampires like James in the picture. I don't know how it is with the vampires that gravitate towards magical communities but there is a phenomenon that I have seen called La Tua Cantante."

"Your singer?" Blaise asked in confusion and Thomas nodded.

"Or singer." He said. "Basically it's a human whose scent is more personalized for an individual vampire. Their blood literally calls to them; it's like their own personal drug designed to give the vampire a high like they never imagined. It's not a very common and apparently it is something to be savored."

"It is," Tanya murmured in agreement. "I encountered my singer a few years after my change. He was a young man; barely in his twenties. He was very handsome," Thomas made a face at her but she ignored him. "But his youth and good looks did not stop me from killing him. His blood was delicious; more so than any I had ever tasted." Despite her words, Tanya's tone was not wistful. When she did feed on humans, she did not relish in killing them but she knew it was needed for her survival. That didn't mean that she liked it. "The singers call is very difficult to ignore and anyone would be hard pressed to find the strength to do so."

The other vampires in the room talked about their lack of experience as they hadn't met their singers. Jasper and Alice came close when Bella was human. Jasper more so but that was mainly because he could feel Edward's need to have her blood and everyone else's need to drink spike slightly when she was around.

"So what does this have to do with Bella and Edward?" Tracey asked Thomas who cocked his head to the side.

"Can't you guess?" He asked back and she frowned.

"She was his singer?" Tracey frowned even more when Thomas nodded. "But how-"

"Was he able to be around her without killing her?" Thomas finished. At Tracey's nod he continued, "A strong will and a strong urge to not let Carlisle down. Carlisle is one of the most understanding and compassionate men I have ever met in my life," He added when people blinked at him in confusion. "He's very patient and he's someone you would hate to disappoint. He doesn't the play the guilt card or anything but there is just something about him that makes you want to not make him disappointed in you.

"He's only 23 years old physically, he's a few hundred years in actuality but he has this presence about him. His wisdom and patience seem to be endless and it's very difficult to be angry at him. My cousin – or our cousin I suppose- Jacob said that he always felt that Carlisle was sort of sacred…or something." He shrugged then continued. "But it was hard for Edward to ignore the call; especially since they were sitting right next to each other."

"Again," Tracey drawled. "How?"

"Again," Thomas drawled back with a playful smirk. "A strong will and a strong urge to not disappoint his father. Edward did ignore it and he went to Alaska to calm down for a bit." He went on but turned to his wife and raised an eyebrow because he wasn't aware of what actually happened when Edward paid a visit to Denali.

"He stayed with us for a few days," Tanya murmured and shifted slightly in her mate's lap. "He never fully explained what happened but I did sort of tease him about being scared off by a woman." She hesitated. "I did convince him to go back after awhile…and after a shameful amount of flirting." She said that last part quietly and through unmoving lips but those with very good ears heard her. Kate snorted a little and gave Tanya a look.

"Only a shameful amount of flirting?" Kate repeated loudly, much to the confusion of many. "I thought it was the appropriate amount for you." Tanya growled loudly at Kate in warning. "What? It's true!" Kate insisted and Tanya growled even louder while Thomas just shook his head.

"I'm not mad babe calm down," He told her and Tanya looked at him with narrowed eyes, not really believing him when he said that he wasn't mad. "I'm not, I promise. Edward sort of told me that you used to hit on him but that was when you were both unmated so it doesn't matter. I would advise not mentioning any other people you have encountered though. I may drag poor Demetri away from my cousin and demand that he point me in the direction of said person." Thomas said that with a bright smile though he was partially serious. Tanya smiled softly throughout his explanation but she did roll her eyes at the end.

"Likewise," Embry and Garrett grunted in unison and their mates gave them amused glances.

"I was a very promiscuous person," Tanya explained to those who were frowning in confusion. "After…" She paused after a massive amount of sadness hit her but she pushed it down and continued. "After my mother was killed I did things…sexual things to try and ease the pain."

"We all did," Irina declared as she gestured to Kate who nodded as well as herself. "And we did it to fuck the pain away as the youth of the today would say. My apologies for my foul language." She added but her apology was waved off as no one was really offended.

"It was the easiest thing we could think of," Kate murmured. "That it was the only way to deal with the pain without really dealing with it." She shrugged her shoulders slightly. "We were human drinkers at the time so some of our…lovers," Thomas, Embry, and Garrett growled at the word and she rolled her eyes but didn't comment on it. "Some of our lovers did not survive the encounters. In fact, we thought it was because of this that the Succubus legend was born though apparently we were very wrong." Her eyes drifted over to Bertram who grinned back at her.

"I explained to them that Succubi do exists and that the legend came out because an incubus and a succubus had a competition to see who could get the most partners in an hour." He said jovially. "The succubus in this event let it slip when one of her targets asked if she was an angel. Her…happy ending was nearing and she shouted it out. "He smirked. "The walls were pretty thin back then so the whole neighborhood heard her. When they found the guy's body the next morning along with several others, word quickly spread about what happened and the 'legend'." He brought his hands up to put air quotes around the word. "Of the succubus was born."

"Can't tell you how the story of the incubus spread," He added. "They remain very tight lipped about it. We had an incubus come in for a job interview." Bertram explained when people looked at him questioningly. The looks then turned incredulous. "I know!" He crowed. "That's how I felt when he came in. I didn't know what he was at first, and I don't have a problem with magical creatures but I couldn't hire him. He was a young incubus; barely in control of his powers. He made several people have…orgasms as he entered the room and almost killed our secretary. She wasn't really complaining though, she said that was the best orgasm she had and all he did was kiss her." He snickered before a thought occurred to him. "Am I the only who feels slightly inadequate due to that fact?" He asked the men in the room who just shrugged.

"Not really." They murmured in unison with smirks on their faces. Bertram gave them all an irritated glare and huffed, causing his girlfriend to giggle.

"Assholes," He hissed under his breath. Several people heard him and smirked even more. He whinnied angrily at them and stomped his right foot which caused several people to laugh. "Shut up!" He shouted over the laughter. "Get on with the story you mangy mutt!" He snapped at Thomas who laughed even more but nodded his head.

"Mustang makes a strong point," He murmured. "We have strayed from the original plot." He chuckled before he composed himself. "Anyway, Edward and Bella got through all of that but there was one event that almost destroyed them." Thomas paused and glanced at Jasper and felt regretful about sharing this next piece of information. Jasper gave him an almost non existent smile and sent him a wave of encouragement.

"As I said before; Edward is a mind reader but he could never read Bella's thoughts," Thomas began, thinking that this should have been brought up before but he continued anyway," She's a mental shield; that means she can block people from getting into her head. Edward was a little frustrated," Jasper snorted slightly, he thought Thomas was putting it mildly. "He can't turn his gift off so he's grown accustomed to hearing many people's thoughts," He paused and frowned thoughtfully. "Maybe that's why he was so moody before he met Bella; hearing that many voices couldn't have been good for his mental health." He stated seriously but he ruined the effect by grinning a little. Those who knew Edward roared with laughter at his comment. The loudest were Jasper and Alice.

"But despite Edward's frustration," Thomas said after the laughter died down. "He felt an odd sense of glee because he could get to know Bella the old fashioned way; by talking to her, and by experiencing things as normally as possible. Like her eighteenth birthday for example." He sighed heavily before he continued, "Bella's never been one to celebrate her birthday and she doesn't like gifts. But despite all that; she went to a small party that the Cullen's held at their place." He paused to take a breath that he really didn't need and reluctantly continued. "There was a…accident which became even worse in a span of a few seconds. Bella cut her finger on one of her birthday cards and-"

"Everyone felt their thirst spike slightly," Jasper added, deciding to take over the storytelling for the time being. Thomas gave him a look of warning which Jasper ignored along with the look that Alice was giving him. "Edward especially but he got himself under control. Despite having already hunted prior to the party my control, which was very short to begin with when I started to feed on animals…slipped and I…tried to attack Bella."

"The key word in that sentence being tried." Thomas scowled at Jasper along with Alice. "You didn't and it was not your fault that you lost control; technically it was a group effort." When Jasper opened his mouth to protest, Thomas snarled at him. "Don't you dare!" He roared at his friend who flinched internally at the sound and the glare Alice was giving him. "You know as well as I do that the only person who should hold anything against you is Bella. No one and I mean _no one_ other than her should hold anything against you."

Thomas had thrown that out because he noticed the slightly hostile and fearful looks that some people were sending Jasper. He understood that they didn't know Jasper very well but he felt that they had no right to look at him like that. He hoped he was subtle about that but he doubted that the Slytherins would be impressed with what he said. "And guess what Major; she doesn't." He continued berating his friend. "You know damn well that when Edward tried to save her from you he made her paper cut look tame. And you also know that what he did after that has left scars that are probably still trying to heal." Thomas whispered and Alice and Jasper flinched slightly but only a few people noticed. He sighed tiredly before turning back to the group.

"Look what happened was nothing more than an accident," Thomas said. "Bella ended up getting stitches; mainly because when Edward pushed her out of the way she ended up crashing into a glass table." He paused and shook his head in irritation. "Because of this incident; Edward thought that it would be best if he broke things off with Bella before leaving Forks altogether."

"And he persuaded us to do the same." Jasper added with a shake of his head. "I honestly thought it was the best because I didn't think Bella wanted to be around us anymore. I wouldn't have blamed her in the slightest had that been the case."

"It wasn't the case?" Harry asked. He was still eyeing Jasper warily but he didn't comment on his feelings at this point. Truth be told he wasn't sure about how to feel right now. On one hand, he couldn't really be mad at Jasper because it was an accident. On the other hand, that slip up could have been deadly and there was a good chance that it could happen again with someone in the room.

"No," Jasper shook his head. "Edward… lied to her. And he lied to us. I was angry with myself that I didn't bother to check to see if he was telling the truth."

"I couldn't see Bella's future," Alice added sadly. "I didn't know how Bella felt but I didn't want to risk upsetting her so I left her alone. Edward-"She shook her head in disgust. "No I'm not going to blame him for that because I shouldn't have listened to him. I should have stayed behind."

"Then why didn't you?" Daphne demanded harshly. She didn't understand why they just left and if Alice claimed tht Bella was her friend then she should have helped her through that rough time. "Why leave at all?" She continued. The others in her group were wondering the same thing and they felt less than pleased so far with the couple they were looking at.

A muscle in Thomas' jaw twitched at Daphne's tone and the looks that his friends were getting but he said nothing. It would not do for him to blow up on one of them especially Daphne as she was now his cousin even if it was by marriage though had it been anyone else he probably would have. Besides, Jasper and Alice were grown ups and could handle themselves without Thomas having to hold their hands. He was actually glad that the kids left because Tristan and Erik would not have taken what Daphne said very well and all hell could have broken loose if they ever noticed the looks.

_We already know daddy._ Tristan growled in his fathers head. Thomas could hear the other kids growling as well through the link and he could feel their anger as well.

_Let them deal with it kids._ Thomas told them. _They are old enough to defend themselves but I will offer my support to them if it gets heated or out of hand so please stay calm._

The kids grumbled but the left Thomas' mind feeling reassured and Thomas turned back to the conversation.

"I didn't want Jasper to mope around and," Alice hesitated. "I was afraid of what would happen if I were to talk to Bella. If my presence would upset her or if…she didn't want me around." She shook her head. "I didn't believe what Edward said but I've known him long enough to know that he is a very stubborn person and when he's upset his stubbornness is more pronounced." She let out an exasperated sigh. "I figure giving them both space would be enough but-" She stopped and shook her head again. "Edward departed from our company and stayed away. Bella never contacted me or anyone and I never saw us together-"

"Wait," Thomas interrupted her. He had an odd look on his face that the others couldn't describe. "Are you absolutely sure that Bella never contacted you?" He asked Alice who frowned at him.

"Of course she didn't." Alice said sounding slightly offended at the way Thomas worded that question. "I would've gotten an e-mail at the very least because I got a new phone when I broke my other one by throwing it at Rosalie." She was suddenly filled with dread when she saw her friends' expression change and looked into the future. Her mood didn't improve when she saw why he asked her that question. "She did contact me didn't she?" She asked despite already knowing the answer.

"She did." Thomas confirmed. "She wrote to you many times but judging from your look, you never got any of her messages." Alice shook her head no.

"Not a single one," Alice murmured with a large frown on her face. "But I don't understand why I didn't." She added.

"I have an idea but we'll talk about later." Thomas told her. "Please continue with what you were saying." The thought that was forming in his mind made Thomas slightly angry but he decided to drop it for the time being. Alice gave him a look; one that basically said that he would divulge that information as soon as they had time or else. Thomas winced internally, thinking that maybe Alice would drag him on a week long shopping spree if he didn't tell her so he inclined his head.

"I never saw anything to indicate that we would reunite so I thought that maybe Bella was just trying to get through what happened," Alice told the group. "So I figured that I would let her deal with it and when she wanted to call us I would answer. I was also trying to track down Edward but he stayed in one place for too long so I never got a lock on him. Until he stayed in Brazil but he never answered my calls."

She paused and shook her head.

"As you saw in the Ballet studio, we took care of James," She said. "And you know that Victoria was his mate-"

"Let me guess, she wanted revenge?" Tracey drawled at her. She had stopped staring at Jasper altogether after a while but the uneasiness was still there.

"Of course," Embry answered. "Despite the major differences in our species; shape shifters and vampires have one absolute thing in common and that is we mate for life. There are no second chances when it comes to mates."

"You either follow them after that have moved on," Amanda added, speaking up for the first time in a while. She had grasped her mate's hand knowing that he struggled with his nature in the beginning but had learned to accept what he was. "Or you kill those who took them from you."

"I was always watching out for Victoria," Alice admitted. "But my gift is not without faults."

"And we would be one of them." Thomas said, pointing to himself and Embry. Many people frowned at him in confusion but he gestured for Artorius to play the next memory. Artorius complied.

The memory that was projected showed a distraught Bella in a meadow that was exceedingly dry by the look of it. What once was green was now brown. Flowers had wilted and died. Decayed grass and mud was a predominate feature of the ground.

Bella looked relieved for a moment before settling back into her previous expression as she sank to her knees.

"That meadow is where Edward took her sometimes," Thomas explained. "They call it their meadow but only Edward knew how to get there, Bella never really paid attention to her surroundings." He paused then added. "Not that she could because Edward was traveling pretty fast with her on his back."

Everyone turned their attention back to the memory as they heard a few leaves rustle. A familiar individual stepped into the clearing opposite Bella.

_"Laurent!"_ Bella cried in surprised pleasure as the nomadic vampire stopped and stared at her.

_"Bella?"_ He said, sounding extremely astonished.

"What is he doing there?" Draco asked.

"You'll see in a moment." Thomas and Alice murmured though Thomas kept shoot glances towards Irina who looked at her feet. She had seen this already and couldn't help but feel a little hurt by Laurent's betrayal of their growing friendship. Embry rubbed her back as he glared Laurent. True, he and Irina were not mates at the time and Laurent never touched Irina but Embry still hated the fact that he almost killed Bella and betrayed Irina's trust.

_"You remember,"_ Bella smiled at Laurent who grinned in response and he continued to step towards her.

_"Yes of course," _He nodded at her. _"You seem very pleased to see me."_ He said after a moment.

_"I almost believed that none of it happened."_ Bella replied and Laurent stopped moving before chuckling.

_"What an odd thing to say."_ He murmured. _"I didn't expected to see you here,"_ He added with a bemused expression.

_"Shouldn't that be the other way around?"_ Bella asked him. _"I live here and last I checked you headed up to Alaska."_

"He stayed with us for a spell," Eleazar offered as he narrowed his eyes at the memory of Laurent. Artorius paused the memory so people could give him their undivided attention. "He learned about us from Carlisle who suggested that he seek us out when Laurent said that he wanted nothing to do with James and Victoria. He actually adapted decently to our lifestyle. Or so I thought." He gestured to the memory. "His eyes are red here."

"Are you ok?" Susan asked Irina who looked over at her and nodded slowly.

"I'm fine." She said flatly. Susan looked dubious but didn't press the issue though she wanted too. The others did as well but refrained from doing so as Thomas motioned for Artorius to play the memory.

_"I did go to Alaska,"_ Laurent confirmed. _"But I came to visit the Cullen's whose house is empty. It appears that they have moved on."_ He continued.

_"Oh,"_ Bella bit her lip and Laurent looked at her with curious eyes. _"They did move on."_ She said after a moment.

"Why did she say that?!" Alice hissed.

"Well you did leave," Bertram said aloud and Alice turned to glare at him along with Jasper and Thomas. Bertram flinched from the glares. "Sorry." He muttered.

_"Hmm,"_ Laurent murmured. _"I am surprised that they left you behind. Weren't you sort of um-"_ He clucked his tongue and waved a hand, trying to think of the right word to say. _"A pet of theirs?"_ He said with eyes that were innocent of any offense intended but it did not stop Alice and Jasper from growling.

_"Something like that,"_ Bella smiled wryly.

_"Hmm,"_ Laurent said thoughtfully as he stepped closer and Bella stepped back. He followed her moment before her asked, _"Do they visit often?"_

_"Absolutely,"_ Bella said._ "Though they seem to have been gone longer on this...vacation that they took."_

_"Hmm,"_ Laurent looked even more thoughtful. _"That might explain why the house smelled like it had been vacant for awhile."_

_"I'll tell them that you stopped by,"_ Bella added. _"Carlisle will be sorry that he missed your visit,"_ She paused and seemed to think hard about something. _"I probably shouldn't tell Edward though,"_ Her face twisted in pain as she said Edward's name. _"He has such a temper as you have seen and he's very touchy about what happened with James."_

_"Is he really?"_ Laurent asked pleasantly while sounding skeptical as well.

_"Mm-hmm,"_ Bella nodded then added. _"He can be very protective and might misinterpret this little get together."_

_"That's understandable I suppose,"_ Laurent said as he took a casual step to the side and surveyed the meadow No one missed the fact that the step he took brought him closer to Bella. _"And I'm sure he would be very upset if he were here but he's not."_

_"Why are you here?"_ Bella asked him. _"Things not working out in Denali? Carlisle said you were staying with Tanya and her family."_

Laurent paused before speaking again.

_"I like Tanya very much,"_ He mused and Thomas growled slightly. Tanya squeezed his hand and he stopped though he did grumble slightly. _"I like her sister Irina even more,"_ This time it was Embry who growled and Irina tried to calm him down though she only did so half heartedly as she just wanted to move on from this memory. Now the others understood why she was so down; she had history with Laurent and judging by the scowls some people had, this memory was going to go south. _"I've never stayed in one place for so long before, not even when I was first introduced to this life and I enjoy the advantages; the novelty that came withy it. But, the restrictions are difficult…I'm surprised that any of them can keep it up for long."_ Laurent continued then smiled at Bella conspiratorially. _"Sometimes I cheat."_

Bella's foot moved ever so slightly and Laurent caught the movement.

_"Ah,"_ Bella said in a faint voice. _"Jasper has...difficulties with that as well."_

Jasper flinched at what Bella said but that's all he did. He didn't want to get smacked again and be compared to Edward, not that he hated his brother or anything but they couldn't have been more different. It also helped that he knew Bella held nothing against him though he would have understood if she did.

_"Really?"_ Laurent sounded interested. _"Is that why they left?"_

_"No."_ Bella told him honestly, firmly. _"Jasper is more careful at home."_

_"Yes,"_ Laurent nodded. _"I am as well."_

He then took a deliberate step forward.

_"Did you ever find Victoria?"_ Bella asked and Laurent stopped moving.

"Yes," Laurent said, hesitating on the next step. _"I actually came here as a favor to her."_ He made a face. _"She wanted me to see if you were still under the protection of the Cullen's because, well, she is quite put out with you."_

_"Me?"_ Bella squeaked.

Daphne turned to Alice. "Where were you?" She demanded and Artorius paused the memory.

"She didn't see this." Thomas said in a cool tone as he jumped to his friends defense. Daphne turned to him and narrowed her eyes. "She didn't see any of this nor did she see what Vitoria asked Laurent to do for her. You see, Alice can only see the decisions that someone makes and the future of that choice. At the time, she could only see vampires and humans. Anything else was blocked to her and when they left, the shape shifters at the time -which included Embry's brother Sam, our distant relative Paul, my other distant relative Jared, Embry himself, and my cousin Jacob- took patrol of almost all of Washington."

"Why not all of it?" Draco asked him and Thomas met his gaze.

"We don't like to stray from La Push, the reservation most of us live on." Thomas began. "We do not feel comfortable leaving it unprotected but we do chase after nomads if they leave the area as long as they don't go over the treaty line that was established by my great grandfather, his pack and the Cullen's. See, an agreement was made between our two groups; the Cullen's would not hunt on Quileute land or bite any humans and we would expose them to the humans. It has been in effect since then and has remained that way though now it is more absolute. You already knew about the treaty, yes?" He asked them when no one seemed surprised at what he was saying and he got nods in return. "Well we have never gone over unless the Cullen's are not there or if we have permission. The one place we do not go for sure is the Makah reservation near Neah Bay. At least without the express permission of the person in charge."

"Why is that?" Harry asked him.

"The Makah have never trusted us," Thomas said after glancing at Embry who gritted his teeth. Embry's mother, Tiffany, was getting grief from some of her 'friends' on the Makah rez who knew about the secret the Quileute had because their family members were apart of the council. They said she was not a true member of the tribe for giving birth to a 'mongrel bastard' and she should never show her face there again. Tiffany had explained all of this to her son through choked sobs and a lot of tears. Embry phased for the first time in a while and ran towards the reservation intent to fight those who had made his mother upset but was intercepted by Thomas who also phased as well. Those who ascended were even stronger in their wolf forms than their human forms which was why Thomas had to phase and subdue Embry. Jacob had to order Embry to phase back and stay away from the Makah reservation and that second half of the order hasn't been lifted.

Sasha and David were even worse off than Embry and had to be restrained in a cage that Seth had made until they calmed down. It's not that people didn't sympathize with them; it's just that they didn't want to go back on their word. If the Makah did something drastic or broke the treaty, then they would fight.

"They have a blood based magical protection through out the entire reservation." Thomas continued and a few people frowned but didn't comment. "You see before we became shape shifters, we had our own magic in the form of Astral Projection. We could leave our bodies and watch over our land. They thought what we did was worse than black magic and what we do now is worse that that. While they don't like anything that isn't human they find us particularly revolting because we can change into animals. To them, we are lower than scum but they won't go against the treaty that was made between our tribes over ten generations ago though there isn't much they could do if we went to war."

"Why not?" This time it was Neville who asked a question.

"Their protections are very good and would subdue any normal wolf shifter," Thomas told him. "The blood protections use the blood of any shifter from the current generation of our tribe to keep them active though they prefer the Alpha as he is the strongest which they got when my cousin Sam went through the change. But as some of us are not normal even by supernatural standards, the protections they have won't work on us and well...we could do a lot of damage if they ever break their part of the treaty we made."

"Which would be what exactly?" Claudius asked him.

"The usual; no revealing our secret or launching an assault on us," Thomas shrugged. "We promise not to do the same."

Embry grumbled under his breath but didn't say anything after Irina gave him a look. Thomas looked over to Artorius after nobody asked any questions and nodded for him to play the memory which he did.

_"I know,"_ Laurent chuckled. _"I think it's a little backwards but as James was her mate and since your Edward killed him - it would only be fair if she got to kill you. A mate for mate or an eye for eye if you prefer. She asked me to get the lay of the land for her, so to speak. I didn't imagine you would be so easy to get to. So maybe her plan was flawed - she never expected me to find you while I was hungry."_ He then frowned while the people watching the memory groaned. _"She'll be unhappy with my killing you all the same."_

_"Then why not wait for her?"_ Bella choked out.

A mischievous grin rearranged Laurent's features. _"Well, you've caught me at a bad time Bella, that's all. I'm quite thirsty, and you do smell...mouthwatering."_ Laurent looked at Bella with approval, as if he meant it as a compliment.

_"He'll know it was you,"_ Bella whispered. _"You won't get away with this."_

_"And why not?"_ Laurent's smile widened. He gazed around the small opening in the trees. _"The scent will wash away with the next rain. No one will find your body – you'll simply go missing, like so many, many other humans. There's no reason for Edward to think of me, if he cares enough to investigate but I don't think he will. How much could you mean to him if he left you here unprotected? This is nothing personal, let me assure you, Bella. This is just thirst."_

_"Please,"_ Bella gasped. _"You helped us with James."_

Laurent stepped close to her and shook his head with a kind expression. _"Look at it this way, Bella. You're very lucky I was the one to find you. I'm doing you a kindness, Victoria plans to do things Bella that…" _He shook his head with a slow movement, as if in disgust. _"I'll be quick about it and you won't feel a thing."_ He backed away then raised his hand while Bella closed her eyes shut.

_"Edward, I love you."_ She breathed Laurent paused as he heard something to his left and looked over.

_"I don't believe it."_ He said, staring into the underbrush with wide eyes.

"What is it?" Hannah asked but received no answer.

Laurent back away slowly without taking his eyes away from where he was staring before picking up the pace. Then a huge black shape eased out of the trees, quiet as a shadow, and stalked deliberately toward the vampire. It was an enormous wolf – as tall as a horse, but thicker and more muscular. It's long muzzle grimaced, revealing a line of dagger-like incisors. A grisly snarl rolled out from between the teeth, rumbling across the clearing like a prolonged crack of thunder.

"Morgana!" Several people cried as the wolf stopped moving ten feet in front of Bella but it paid her no mind. "It's huge!"

"_He_ is huge," Thomas corrected as he saw more wolves getting close to the clearing and heard Embry and Casey snicker. "That's my cousin and Embry's brother, Sam, in his wolf form." He paused as two more wolves stepped out. One was a deep grey, the other was a dirty shade of brown. They were not as big as Sam though they were still pretty big. "The grey wolf is Paul, the other is Jared." He paused again as a grey wolf with black spots joined them along with a russet brown wolf who was pretty close to Sam's size. "The russet wolf is Jacob."

"The other grey wolf is me." Embry grinned at the many wide eyed looks in the room. True they had seen werewolves but werewolves were never that big; they were roughly the half the size of a wolf shifter but they were more feral.

Laurent spun around and flitted away. Four of the wolves followed but the fifth one hung back to look at Bella who frozen in shock before follow the others. The memory ended there and several people turned to Thomas and Embry.

"What happened to Laurent?" Draco asked as others threw questions out like 'Do all of you get that big?' or 'Are there only male shifters?'

"He was destroyed." Embry said flatly but offered no further explanation.

"Yes Laurent was destroyed though...we had difficulties with Victoria." Thomas said with a scowl. "She was gifted too I think. She always had away of getting out of tight spots and she was very difficult to catch."

"So basically she was an overall pain in the ass." Wilfred commented, speaking for the first time since he came into this room.

"Essentially," Thomas nodded. "She killed three people on our land and she wasn't destroyed until we teamed up with the Cullen's to fight her army."

"Army?" Blaise asked.

"More on that later, I promise." Blaise nodded his head and Thomas spoke to the whole room. "Ok this next memory involves Edward and the Volturi but I will offer some context for it." _While glossing over quite a few things_ he added mentally. "In this memory Edward has gone to the kings of Italy and requested that...they kill him." Seeing the blank stares of confusion he pressed on. "Bella decided one day to try a little bit of recreational cliff diving."

"A little bit of recreational cliff diving?" Hermione repeated while making a face. "Why do I get the feeling that you are down playing that?"

"He is," Tanya cut in before Thomas could answer. "It could be very dangerous if you weren't careful." She glared at her mate, daring him to contradict her.

"It can be yes," Thomas conceded. "But it's like you said, it's dangerous if you aren't careful but if you are and if you are with a group of people, it can be a really good time. I wouldn't recommend going alone or jumping off the highest part of the cliff on your first try while a storm was brewing but..." He trailed off with a shrug.

"Well no one would be naïve enough to do that," Draco muttered to his wife but when he saw looks being exchanged between Thomas and the others he narrowed his eyes. "Right?" He asked them. Those who didn't hear what he said stared at him.

"Well..." Thomas dragged out the word. "That's exactly what Bella did."

"Sorry?" Harry frowned. "Bella did what?"

"What I mentioned." Thomas explained. "She decided that it would be a good idea to go alone and jump off of the highest point of the cliffs which is roughly a hundred feet above the water." Everyone who didn't know the story blinked at him.

"Hold on," Susan held up a hand to stop him from speaking. She then held up one finger, "Bella decided to jump off a cliff from a hundred feet above the water," Another finger was raised, "She went alone and I'm guessing she told no one," After a few nods she added another finger. "I'm also going to guess that she did this when a storm began to brew?" More nods and she shook her head. "Oh joy, that sounds like so much fun," She muttered.

"To be fair," Thomas began. "That last one wasn't entirely her fault; she didn't know there would be a storm coming. The first two are entirely her fault though; she should have started smaller then worked her way up while there were others around."

"Why didn't she wait?" Daphne asked. "And where were any of you?" She narrowed her eyes at Jasper, Alice, and Thomas.

"I was racing back to Forks," Alice explained. "I left abruptly from a cottage we have in Oregon, leaving Jasper behind, thinking that Bella had committed suicide. I didn't...I didn't think I would make it in time to save her but I could at least be there for Charlie. Imagine my surprise when Bella walked in the front door as if nothing happened."

"I was human at the time," Thomas said. "The fastest way to have gotten to the cliff would be on my bike but even with that I wouldn't have made it in time. If anything, I could have made things worse if I went out there. Bella and I could have died if I interfered with the event but luckily Jacob saved her as he was patrolling in the area and caught her scent." He had seen many things in his life; things that he couldn't erase but Thomas learned to live with it as the years went on. "Now, you're probably wondering how Edward found out. Rosalie told him that Bella was basically gone after Alice told her about it. Edward called the house to confirm and Jacob said that her father was prepping a funeral. However, he did not explain that the funeral was for a family friend and Edward assumed that it was for Bella. This is the result of that assumption."

He waved for Artorius to play the memory and he did.

A sickly looking Edward walked down a dimly lit corridor. His face was filled with agony and his eyes were pitch black from a lack of hunting. He walked through a door way and entered into a marble room filled with statues, columns, and steps. At the top of the steps were three black and gold thrones; each one had a circular picture above it and a pendant that had a castle tower and red background lodged into it. The arm rests were ornate with the front shaped like a lion's head. The middle throne was slightly taller than the other two. Three vampires sat in each throne. All of them had translucent skin which was ashen in some places and there was a milky film to their red eyes.

The middle vampire wore a black suit and tie along with a gold chain and V shaped pendant. His hair was long and black and he seemed very solemn at the moment. He looked older than the other two though not by much. To his right sat a dark haired vampire who seemed to be looking at nothing in particular off to the side with a bored expression on his face. He was wearing a black robe and a grey scarf over his suit. He couldn't have been older than twenty. The last vampire had hair that was white as snow. He also wore a black robe over his suit but he donned a red scarf instead.

_"So you made up your minds?"_ Edward asked flatly and with a slight scoff. The white haired vampire scowled at him. The bored looking vampire glanced at him for a moment before looking away. The vampire in the middle of the two smiled slightly as he rubbed his hands together.

_"My brothers and I had an intriguing debate,"_ He said, his voice was a soft as a feather and his tone held curiousness and mirth. _"Never have we encountered a vampire who would willing end their existence let alone beg for us to do so."_

_"It is pathetic,"_ The white haired vampire hissed. His voice was just as soft but his tone was filled with malice. _"Disgraceful even; you do not deserved the gift of immortality."_

He looked ready to say more but the middle vampire gave him a warning glance. The vampire on the other end turned his head towards both of them but made no comment.

_"I'm afraid,"_ The middle vampire continued as Edward's expression became even worse. _"Your particular gifts, are too valuable to destroy. But,"_ Here the vampire smiled even more._ "If you're unhappy with your lot; then join us. We would be delighted to utilize your skills."_ He held his hands in front of him and adopted a pleading gesture. _"Won't you consider staying with us?"_

_"You know what will happen anyway,"_ Edward replied without really addressing the question. The white haired vampire scowled even more and the bored vampire looked over in Edward's direction.

_"Not without cause, young Edward."_ He rasped. His voice was soft like the other two but it was devoid of any emotion same with the words. Edward clenched and unclenched his jaw before stalking out of the room. As he did so, the three kings watched him leave with the same expressions they had when he entered.

_"Such a waste."_ The king in the middle sighed and shook his head.

"I'm surprised that none of you commented." Thomas said as the memory faded away.

"Well you said it was short," Harry shrugged. "I saw no need to comment." Others voiced or nodded their agreement. "So those three were the rulers of the vampire world?"

"Yes," Eleazar said. "The one in the middle was Aro; the true leader of he Volturi. The vampire to his right was Marcus; his brother in law and the final vampire was Caius."

"Is there a reason that their skin is different then yours?" Teddy asked the vampires in the room.

"Lack of activity," Irina supplied. "They very rarely left their home and mostly sat around doing nothing. It's true that we no longer age after we become vampires; but our skin can petrify if we don't move for extended periods of time."

"You said earlier that they collected gifted vampires," Daphne looked over at Thomas. "Were any of them gifted?"

"Only Aro and Marcus," Eleazar answered when Thomas raised an eyebrow at him in question. "Marcus could sense the bonds between people and how strong they were. He could tell who was the leader of a coven, who was mated, and who felt like leaving their coven if they had one. The first two were useful in battle against another coven and the last one was good to see if someone was going to betray the Volturi or the guard."

"And Aro?" Daphne pressed.

"If he wanted to, he could read every thought that you ever had by touching you," Was the reply. "The longer he touched you, the deeper he could delve into your mind. No one could lie to him because all he would have to do was look into a person's mind to see the truth. If there was a trial, Aro would look into the mind of the accused, he would council with the other kings and if there was enough evidence to convict those on trial they would act accordingly." _Unless of course, you had an ability,_ He thought bitterly while trying to keep his face blank.

"Did you used to work for them?" Blaise asked Eleazar who raised his eyebrows.

"What gave you that impression?" Eleazar asked back. The others were listening intently, waiting to hear Blaise explain himself.

"You seem to know a lot about abilities," Blaise began. "Your description's of them are almost textbook style descriptions but I honestly doubt there are books for this sort of thing. That leaves me with the impression that you have you an ability yourself; the ability to sense those who have abilities and what they can do. Your tone in describing the powers that the kings possessed and how they operated was slightly wistful and slightly agitated. That suggests to me that you loved working wth them but became disillusioned with them after a while. Either that, or you were a secret admirer of theirs and got rejected badly when you proclaimed your love for them." He teased slightly but his joke was met with blank stares and incredulous expressions.

"Love, leave the jokes to those who can pull it off," Tracey mock chided her husband.

"Before you answer, Eleazar," Embry cut in before Blaise could retort. Embry turned to Artorius. "May I have something to eat?" He asked him. He too, was met with incredulous expressions except from his family save for Thomas. Mostly because it wasn't that long ago that they just ate and Embry and Thomas ate the most out of everyone along with the kids. Thomas stared at Embry like he grew a second head but he wouldn't comment on that now because he was hungry too and he thought that it would be nice to take another break.

"Sure what do you want?" Artorius asked Embry who adopted a thoughtful expression.

"How about some scalloped potatoes and cheese with some sausages on the side?" Embry said before turning to Thomas. "You know you want some of that." He commented.

"Yeah sure, why not." Thomas shrugged as Eleazar answered Blaise's question and Artorius called for his elf. Thomas knew that even with all the breaks that they were taking, he would have to discuss his cousins idea of traveling back to the past eventually. Thomas had known about this idea of theirs for awhile now. The only other person in his group that knew about this plan was Tanya and Thomas knew that his cousin's might ask him and his fellow Alpha's for assistance. The problem was that Thomas didn't know if they really could help them but if they could then they damn well would. That, he swore on the great spirit.

* * *

**Ok, it's ben over a month since my last update. I am sorry that it took so long but real life got very real and this chapter did not want to be written. I had no idea's on how to make it flow and I also had an idea for another story which I am also writing at the moment. I'll try and get the next chapter up as soon as I can but I can't make any promises on an actual date.**

**Hope you enjoy this chapter. If not the *shrugs* no skin off my back.**


	9. Council

**JUNE 31ST 2012**

**6:55 PM**

Thomas Matthews stared into the crackling fire in front of him as he waited with the others for Sam, Emily, Kim and Jared. The Elders and his fellow Alpha's along with their mates and some of their other friends were already in the gazebo that he had built around the site where they had the meetings. Thomas had gotten permission from the Elders to build it and hired local carpenters to over see the construction of it. It was made of redwood and was circular with a big roof above it which had it's ceiling decorated with artwork from Jughead Jones. There was a skylight in the center of the roof so the smoke had somewhere to go. There were charmed mirrors that hung from the ceiling. They were used so they could communicate with those who lived on the other side of the treaty line. In the center was a pit were they put their fire wood. It had a ramp for Billy on one side by his spot where he normally sat before the gazebo was built. There was only one other entrance and the rest of it was closed off to give them privacy.

Thomas had come up with the idea for this because he thought that it would be better to have some place dry to have meetings in case it rained or something. He thought that no matter what they should always be able to come here and listen to their stories. After it was complete, Thomas asked the magic users if it was possible to make sure that the gazebo couldn't be vandalized or destroyed. They applied the necessary charms even though Thomas never actually asked them to do so.

This wasn't the only thing that he had built. He asked Carlisle as the head of his family if it would be possible to build sort of halfway house on Cullen land for all the wolves who either got kicked out of their homes or left because they couldn't deal with their parents trying to deny them their birthright of running with the pack. Carlisle quickly gave his permission and Esme helped design the house which was almost four stories tall and was dubbed 'Wolfe Manor' though Emmett liked to call it the dog house.

Thomas thought over what happened in the last five days including the 'trial' for the De Luca's.

* * *

Thomas and Embry were sat in two chairs in a coliseum like structure as many representatives from all around the world peered down at them. It was the middle of the day but there was an enchanted ceiling that showed a scene of the Aurora Borealis.

Fifteen guards were standing behind them making sure that they didn't get any bright ideas. The head of security's words, not theirs. Thomas fought the urge to roll his eyes at the man's attempt at being threatening. Embry didn't bother fighting and did roll his eyes. The head of security tried further prove that he was intimidating by poking his finger into Embry's chest as he began to rant. He had no idea that Embry's skin was dense and broke his finger on the first poke. He wailed like a little girl as he fell to the floor clutching his hand. The other guards shifted nervously or laughed at their fallen comrade while Thomas and Embry just stood there and waited to be called in front of the I.C.W.

Their families were off to the side, offering smiles of encouragement when Embry and Thomas looked over.

"Mr. Matthews, Mr. Call." The American representative of the I.C.W. and Supreme Mugwump, Norman Bell, said, making Thomas and Embry look at him. "You know why you are today correct?" He asked them. Receiving two nods, he continued. "For the record please state your full names,"

"Including whatever titles we may have?" Thomas asked him and Norman adopted a thoughtful expression.

"Are they magical titles?" He asked back and Thomas shook his head.

"Mundane titles." Thomas replied.

"You may include them if you wish but it's not entirely necessary." Norman told him.

"Well in that case, my name is Thomas James Nakoa Matthews." He turned to his fellow Alpha.

"Embry David Call." Embry murmured and Norman nodded before asking another question.

"For the record, could either one of you state in your own words, why you are here."

"We are here to give our statements as we were apart of the group that disrupted the potential attack on an ancient and noble family." Thomas replied. "Is that good enough for the record?"

"It is Mr. Matthews," Norman nodded at him before addressing the others. "My fellow representatives, the American ministry has interviewed these two men before you and confirmed their story but I will open the floor to any of you so you may conduct your own line of questioning." A woman stood up after Norman finished speaking. "This body recognizes Diane Schmidt, representative of magical Germany."

The woman nodded curtly to Norman in thanks before setting her gaze on Thomas and Embry.

"Could either of you tell me how you were able to subdue two wizards despite not having any wands?" Diane had read what was written in the report that they were all given so she already knew how it happened but she wanted to hear it in their words and possibly see a demonstration.

Thomas tried very hard to keep the reluctance out of his voice for potentially sharing more information along with the annoyance of why this question was asked.

"They may be wizards, but not that much magic was used by them." He said. "We fought with weapons." _And our powers, but you already knew that._ He added silently.

"Oh?" Diane raised an eyebrow. "What sort of weapons?"

"I have a Sicca that I call Joe Bob." Embry answered honestly, gaining many bewildered looks when he mentioned the name. He ignored them completely.

"And I have a spike that I call Alika." Thomas added. He also ignored the looks he was getting.

"And your opponents?"

"A sword, a tomahawk, a bow, and some really nasty arrows." Embry drawled and Thomas muttered a warning in Quileute to him. Several people chuckled at Embry's words while Diane narrowed her eyes.

"And your training?" She asked.

"Independent." Thomas said curtly.

"From what?"

"Any sort of traditional establishment," Thomas said. "We train with our friends and family."

"And their qualifications?"

"Forgive me madam," Thomas said coolly. He had already known that this 'trial' was just going to be posturing and 'going through the motions' but he did not appreciate them trying to fish for information about his family who winced at his tone. That tone was a sure sign that someone was about to get bitched slapped without mercy if they didn't back off. Physically or verbally; it depended on how offensive the person on the receiving end was and if they were human or not. Thomas was not one who was quick to get angry but if you pushed him hard enough you better hope that you can defend yourself. "but I was under the impression that this 'trial' was for the De Luca siblings and not us. Did I get the wrong impression?"

"No you did not." Diane replied in a similar tone and many people narrowed their eyes at Thomas since they didn't miss his almost sarcastic tone when he said the word trial.

"Warum sind Sie dann Informationen über meine Familie Angeln?" Thomas said in German and Diane looked slightly surprised, she was not expecting him to speak in her native tongue. (Then why are you fishing for information about my family?)

"Sprechen Sie Deutsch?" She asked him. (You speak German?)

"Ein bisschen." Thomas nodded. (A little). The truth was that Thomas was damn near fluent in German thanks to lessons he had with his niece's imprint. "Sie haben meine Frage nicht beantwortet." (You haven't answered my question).

The other representatives had switched their translator spells into German to follow the conversation as the two seemed to have decided not to switch back to English. Those who already knew the language listened intently.

"Ehrlich Herr Matthews sein," Diane said. (To be honest Mr. Matthews) "Während ich nichts gegen diejenigen, die keine Magie haben habe, finde ich es fast lächerlich, dass zwei keine magischen Benutzer zwei Assistenten besiegen konnte, die auf magische Weise sowohl in verschiedenen Kampfkünsten ausgebildet haben, da sie Kinder waren." (While I have nothing against those who do not have magic, I find it almost laughable that two none magic users could defeat two wizards who have trained both magically and in various martial arts since they were children)

"Fordern Sie uns Lügner?" Embry scowled at the woman, adding his two cents into the mix. (Are you calling us liars?) "Während magische Berichte gefälscht werden können, bezweifle ich, dass jemand wie Detective Stone Arbeitsplatzverlustes über etwas wie das riskieren würde." (While magical reports can be falsified, I doubt someone like Detective Stone would risk losing their job over something like that)

"Ich versuche nur, alle Fakten sammeln," (I am merely trying to gather all the facts) "Es scheint, dass einiges aus dem Bericht blieb und es gibt Dinge, die nicht vollständig erklärt wurden." (It seems that quite a bit was left out of the report and there are things that were not explained in full).

"We value our privacy," Thomas said with ice in his voice and switching back to English. "You can understand that, yes?" Without waiting for an answer, he continued. "As for what wasn't explained in full, you'll have to explain that one because I'm pretty sure that we answered the questions thoroughly."

"You claim to be a seer." Diane murmured and several people snorted with contempt. Thomas turned to them and eyed them all for a long moment. He knew why they all did that; they thought anyone claiming to have prophetic like abilities were frauds. True, most of them were, but Thomas was anything but a fake.

"I made no such claims," He murmured as those who snorted looked him with narrowed eyes. "Did any of you read the report or did all of you skim through it and just decide to execute the De Luca's so some of you wouldn't have to pay the bounty's that they have on their heads?" Thomas smiled as some of the representative's gave indignant squawks and furious denials.

Norman Bell hid a smile as he took a long swig from his glass of water. _I like this kid -man- I like this young man,_ He thought. _He's got a good head on his shoulders._ He smile threatened to break his face in half as he saw many of his 'colleagues' basically confirm what he, and many other people thought with their quick denials. Something that a few of them noticed as they shut their mouths and glared at Thomas who looked unimpressed. When they turned their attention to his family, his eyes began to glow bluish white along with Embry's.

"Oh children," Embry called over to them in a sing song voice. "Do avert your eyes or we'll do it for you." He and Thomas gave them very fixed smiles that showed off their sharp teeth. Those who glared at Thomas started yelling obscenities at him and Embry.

"You dare to threaten us?!" The representative from Bulgaria snapped at them. He would have said more but Thomas appeared right in front of him in the blink of an eye still smiling that fixed smile. Embry appeared in front of the representative of Russia, a woman named Belinda Borodin, who had a very malicious glint in her eye when she looked over to Thomas and Embry's mates and children. Both representatives gulped while the others who couldn't follow their movements looked at their empty chairs then to Thomas and Embry then back again.

"We made no threats," Thomas said venomously while still smiling. Norman Bell waved the guards off as they reached for their wands. _Really, what are they going to do? These two would have already done something by now and the guards wouldn't have been able to stop them._ He thought while shaking his head at the guards. "People like us don't need to make threats but we do give warnings. This will be your first and last. _Never_, look at my family like that ever again. Your problem is with me, not them. While they don't necessarily need me to be there to defend them, you can be damn well sure that I will until I take my last breath." He hissed through his teeth before leaning closer to the Bulgarian and whispered, "Дори ако мисля за следващите след нас, ще приключи ви.." (If you even think about coming after us, I will end you).

Without another word, Thomas flashed back to his seat leaving a very pale, and shaken man behind. Embry followed not too long after and both of them sat in their chairs with their hands on both arm rests, waiting patiently for the proceedings to continue.

"If there are no further questions," Norman Bell said into the now quiet area. Receiving no response, he pressed on. "Bring in the accused." He told the guards near the doors. They inclined their heads and left the room. Thomas and Embry smiled at their family ignoring the looks of hostility or consideration from many members of the I.C.W. A few minutes later, the guards came back with two men who looked emaciated beyond belief. Their eyes, which were yellow, were sunken in and they looked like walking skeletons with skin. Their necks, wrists, waists, and ankles were covered in what looked like iron restraints that were connected by chains. They all had markings engraved into them.

Thomas and Embry never got a good look at their opponents faces before and they could see all the scars that marred their faces. Both of them had short hair which was falling out. Despite their appearance, and the fact that they were moving slow, they held their heads up high. The paused in their walking when they spotted Thomas and Embry before straightening their postures and bowing to them at the waist. The two alpha's slowly got out of their seats and did the same.

While they didn't like the fact that they fought for the house of Nero, Fabrizio and Giorgio respected the two men in front of them. They felt saddened that they could not finish their fight. _It would have been glorious,_ they thought wistfully. _Maybe we would have finally met our betters though it seems that we have. After all, we are about to die while they will continue to live._

Thomas and Embry respected them to an extent as well. They respected the fact that they were warriors; fighting for what they believed in. Their own beliefs may have conflicted with theirs, and they didn't sell their skills to the highest bidders, but they could respect the conviction these two had even if it brought them against their families.

Many people were puzzled by what took place if their frowns were anything to go by. They thought something fishy was going on but didn't say anything as Norman Bell began to speak.

"Fabrizio Giuseppe De Luca, Giorgio Alfredo De Luca, both of you stand accused of the following," Norman pulled out a scroll and began to list their crimes. Most of which had the people listening balking at the amount of damage the De Luca's had caused both directly and indirectly. After what felt like an eternity, Norman put the scroll down and looked over to the two brothers. "How do you plead?" He asked him and Thomas closed his eyes at the stupidity of all of this. They already decided on killing them barely a minute into the meeting prior to this one but tradition dictated that they follow through with procedure. Something Thomas thought was irritating and could tell that some members of the I.C.W. including the Supreme Mugwump felt the same way.

"Guilty," Giorgio rasped and laughed shakily at the looks of surprise on some people's faces. His brother joined him. "Why so surprised?" He rasped again. "Were you expecting us to fight? We know what we did was wrong; we just never anticipated on getting caught. We know that this will not change your judgement of having us killed. Though, I'm sure most of you were hoping that these," He held up his hands as best as he could to show his manacles. "Would have killed us by now. So sorry to disappoint." He spat bitterly at the ground. "I do believe that we are entitled to one last request, Supreme Mugwump." He said to Norman after a moment.

Before Norman could respond, several members of the I.C.W. leapt out of their seats to say that he should deny them this request before he even heard it. He had to fire off a few spells along with the guards to get everyone who started talking all at once to be quiet.

"Enough!" He roared at those who still tried to tell him what to do. "In case all of you forgot, they are entitled to make a request and it is I who will deny or approve it. You all know this, after all it is procedure and we agreed to follow procedure when we took our oaths to represent our respective magical communities," He sneered at them while inwardly smirking. He knew he had them with that fact and there was nothing that they could do to stop him. They all sat down angrily and glared at Norman who curled his upper lip at them in disgust. He turned back to the De Luca's. "Yes, the both of you are entitled to a last request and if it's within my ability to grant it, and if it is with in reason, it will be done."

The De Luca's nodded before Fabrizio spoke.

"My brother and I have no children," He began. "And we have never named our heirs or successors. We wish to do so now." The I.C.W. sat forward and listened intently. Thomas adopted an impassive expression because he knew what was about to happen and he could do nothing to stop it. "The Italian ministry may be reluctant to accept but your word will nullify any opposition our heirs may face. All we ask is that no one but those we name as our heirs will have what we leave behind."

Norman contemplated for a few moments before speaking.

"The only problem I have with that is your wealth and potential items you wish to give," Norman said slowly. "The money in your vaults will be going to the victims of your crimes or be used to pay for all the damage you have caused. Whatever artifacts or devices you have in your vaults and your homes will also be seized and studied by members that will be hand picked by this body. If they are clean, they will be given to your heirs along with everything else."

Thomas tried very hard not to groan out loud as Norman basically left a gaping legal hole for the De Luca's to use but technically there was nothing more that he could do. The I.C.W. could only seize known accounts and properties, anything else had to be reported in. Thomas could not tell them anything now because he had no physical evidence to provide and the De Luca's had them hidden with nasty traps that only a blood relative or whomever their named as their heirs could enter. The other problem was that in order for there to be any investigation by the I.C.W. there had to be a complaint filed by the minister of the country hoping to get investigators to come to their country. That was never going to happen as a few of those countries could care less about what happened to the De Luca family fortune and assets because they were going to be executed later on in the day. Thomas couldn't file the complaint because despite having powers, he was a none magical and many of the countries in this room do not deal with none magicals and they were the ones with the secret stashes.

Giorgio and Fabrizio smiled widely. It looked like it took a lot of effort but they showed off their pearly white teeth that was filed down into points.

"That is acceptable," Giorgio nodded, "we wish to announce our choices."

"By all means," Norman gestured for them to do so. The De Luca siblings smirked before turning to Thomas and Embry. The former narrowed his eyes at them while the other looked startled. The De Luca's then said a single word that caused a massive amount of chaos to erupt.

"Them."

* * *

Fabrizio was wrong, the Italian Ministry was more than reluctant when Norman gave his okay; they were unreasonable. The I.C.W. member jumped out of her chair and made her way down to the De Luca siblings shouting at them in her native tongue and demanding that they stop playing games and announce a proper heir for each of them. When they didn't she drew her wand but Thomas stood in front of her and told her to calm down. She fired a stunner at him, thinking that because he was close to her that he wouldn't be able to dodge. He didn't, he instead let it hit him. It had very little effect on him; all it did was make him wobble. He glared at the paling witch before dropping to the floor as two stunners were sent her way. The witch broke a very important rule when she fired that stunner; members apart from the Supreme Mugwump were not allowed to use magic unless in self defense or if they had permission from the Supreme Mugwump. The rule was implemented back in 1769 when the Chinese representative attacked the German representative over a misunderstanding. No one knows exactly what the misunderstanding was about because apparently the two magicals were too embarrassed to say anything.

The others asked Thomas if he was alright and he said he was fine. Tanya smacked him upside the head for scaring her and the kids but he told her that he didn't mean too though he was glad that it had no effect on him. When asked why he said it proved that the bond between he and Tanya was growing stronger. He explained that he had a conversation with his wolf when he said that it wasn't fair that he could heal from getting burned but she couldn't. His wolf, Takodah, had told him that the bond works both ways. Meaning that Thomas would get her speed, her strength, and her ability to stop aging. Likewise, Tanya would able to heal from being burned. They never noticed because Thomas never asked until then and they never tested it out.

Not that they were willing to do so.

According to Claudius, the Italian Minister, one Franco Clericuzio, raised hell at the American Ministry. He refused to acknowledge the Supreme Mugwumps decision and wanted retribution for what he thought was a blatant attack on his Ministry. That is until it was shown to him that his chosen representative broke one of the rules did he withdraw that statement. He still didn't want to acknowledge what Norman chose but really, he had little choice and was mostly being stubborn about it. In truth, the De Luca's could have named anyone or anything that was capable of rational thought and it would have been accepted. The Italian Ministry just didn't want foreigners getting control of a prominent Italian family's wealth and assets.

Thomas was less than pleased about getting their assets but there was little he could do about it. Embry was in shock for a while before he snapped at Thomas for not telling him about that but Thomas said that it didn't matter if he told him or not; nothing was going to change the outcome. They couldn't really refuse what was given to them because Fabrizio and Giorgio wanted only those who were named to receive what they left behind. No distant relative could lay claim to it and the Ministry could not refuse the word of the Supreme Mugwump no matter how much they wanted to.

Thomas and Embry agreed that whatever was left from the seizures would be divided evenly along with whatever was hidden. They also agreed that Embry should take up the title of Lord De Luca as Thomas already two and didn't want any more. The De Luca siblings had left them notes with hidden messages so they could find these hidden places. Most of which, were in Romania not that far from the house or rather mansion, that Vladimir and Stefan left to Thomas in the Transylvanian Alps.

Thinking about that place made Thomas inwardly smile and frown at the same time. He loved the place and so did his family; that made him smile. What made him frown was the fact that many vampires tried to destroy it about a month after the final battle with the Volturi. They didn't know that Vladimir and Stefan were dead but they did know that there wasn't very much activity in the area so they decided to investigate. When they found no opposition, they decided to kill the villagers nearby. They would have succeeded had Thomas not shown up and drove them away from the village. He killed most of them and let two leave to spread the word that Romania was off limits.

Thomas shook his head slightly as he heard footsteps approach the gazebo. The four people the group was waiting on walked over to them. Greetings were exchanged as they all sat down. Sam nodded to Thomas and all the other Alphas as a sign of respect even though he was a member of the tribal council and they were not.

"Now that the last of us has arrived," Billy Black spoke softly before turning to his nephew. "The floor is yours Thomas."

Thomas nodded to his uncle before standing up and tapping one of the mirrors. They all glowed briefly and began to grow into full size mirrors before Thomas spoke into it.

"Carlisle, can you here me?" He asked and Carlisle Cullen's face along with the others appeared. After receiving an affirmative, he continued. "Honored Elders," He nodded to Billy, Sue Swan, and Old Quil all of whom, nodded back. "My fellow Alphas, shifters, imprints, friends and family." He nodded to them and they nodded back. "I asked for this meeting so we could discuss something that...is mostly unknown to us but will not put us in any immediate danger."

He paused and looked at the group before him. They looked at him curiously and waited for him to continue.

"As we all know, magic, while possessing a lot of rules and laws, can be a near limitless force," Thomas continued. "It can help achieve many wonderful things. We also know, that the events in the Harry Potter series did actually happen and the people in those books and films do exist." Everyone nodded. Some of them actually met Harry, his family, and their friends and the others were told about it. "We know that time travel is possible but to most people it is limited." He sighed through his nose. "Artorius, Bertram, and Wilfred have found a way to go back a long way in time and they are going to use it."

No one said a word and the only sound that was made came from the crackling fire in the pit and most of both groups stared blankly at Thomas. Those who didn't were his mate, Embry and his mate, Alice and Jasper. They already knew before hand. When nobody spoke up, Thomas continued.

"They want to make sure that the war that broke out never happens," He said. "They also think that they maybe wizarding Britain can have a chance to move on if they were to help influence them. Some of the people staying with them have already decided to go back." _And the others will follow,_ He added in his mind.

"You wish to go with them," Old Quil Ateara spoke up. It was worded like a question, but he said it like a fact.

"I wish to help them," Thomas hedged. In truth, Thomas did want to go with them but only if this council, and the one in the spirit world gave their blessings. "Neither of them have officially asked me or anyone here but they didn't need too; I could see it in their eyes." He hesitated. "But I don't think I could be of much help."

"And why is that?" Sue Swan asked him softly from her spot next to her husband Charlie. "You have more than enough power to help them. You are a very intelligent young man who can handle himself in a verbal argument. I'm not seeing a problem here."

"The problem," Thomas said slowly, "Is that I am not a wizard and that community is riddled with prejudice against those who have no magic and who are not human. I happen to be both; if anything I might end up hindering their cause." _Though I doubt they would care._ He added mentally.

"But we would be untouchable," Leah Clearwater, more commonly known as Tempest to her fellow Alphas spoke up. "We would be able to stop whatever plans the opposition may have."

"We?" Thomas asked quietly. "What we? Leah, you're hardly in any condition to travel anywhere let alone through time." He looked at her protruding stomach with a pointed expression before locking gazes with he and raising his eyebrows. Leah shot to her feet and glared at him.

"So what, you were going to leave the rest of us behind?!" She demanded in a shrill voice. Nahuel tried to get her to sit back down but she shrugged him off. "Well?!" She snapped at Thomas.

Tanya gritted her teeth to stop her from lashing out a Leah. She did so because she knew that Thomas could take care of himself; especially against Leah but she didn't appreciate the she wolf's tone.

"I was not going to leave anyone behind," Thomas said calmly. "But we have to look at this logically. If too much of us go; we would be leaving everyone else at a severe disadvantage. Especially if I were to go because of my shield and future seeing ability." Thomas gave up calling his power a force field or field because he felt it was too stiff so he called it the technical term. "We would be down one seer and a defensive talent. We'd lose more power if any of us left really. But then again; this is mostly talk because I'm not going to do it without the ok of both council's."

Leah's shoulders slumped as she sighed and sat back down. She nodded her head apologetically to Thomas who nodded back. He sat down next to his mate and took her hand in his. She squeezed his hand in reassurance. A shimmer of spirit energy appeared into the gazebo, shining brighter than the fire. When the light dimmed there stood the figure of Jason Matthews.

"Dad." Thomas said quietly with a nod. "What are you doing here?"

"I need a reason to be here?" Jason demanded with mock indignation. "I can't just pop in unannounced?"

"Well it is very rude," Thomas said with a wave of his hand and his dad huffed but smiled none the less. Jason turned to his wife and mother and smiled at them before saying hello to everyone else.

"I'm here as a spoke person for the spirit council; who has been monitoring the situation." Jason said. _Of course they are,_ Thomas thought, not unkindly. He could never use his gift in the spirit world nor could he use it to see into it. If he didn't know or trust the council there, it would have made him feel uneasy but luckily he did know them and he did trust them. "They said that whatever your decision, they will support you. However, should you chose to go, you won't have to worry about your link, it will still be there."

"How?" Thomas frowned. "If we go back, we would be in a time before the links were established."

"But remember what I told you?" His dad asked him patiently. "About the spirit world not being reality as we know it? That it was sort of the in between?" When he received a nod, Jason continued, "Well it exists between time and space. Technically, if they wanted to, they could have kept all of you for a short amount of time during your ascension's but they felt what the time you spent there was enough to satisfy the bonds you all have. Plus, they didn't want you freaking out for staying there too long or not long enough."

"Ok, that's one less thing to worry about," Thomas muttered though most people heard him. He sighed loudly before speaking up. "Well the other problem with going back is the opposition itself. Despite having magic, they are still human and none of us have fought humans before or after we ascended."

"You're afraid that you might severely injure them; or even kill them out right." Sam nodded his head in understanding and Thomas nodded back. "I can see why you would be hesitant; but all of you know how to exercise restraint. I doubt anyone here will question that." He raised his eyebrows in challenge but none came. "That is not much of an issue to be honest."

"It is when we use these," Thomas held up his weapon that, while not made specifically for him, was an extension of himself. "Unless we make some sticks with some foam or some pillows filled with feathers and baby powder, these will damage the opposition; permanently," He adopted a thoughtful expression. "Although I'm sure some of them won't be missed or pitied if they are."

"The toad?" Embry asked him lightly.

"The toad." Thomas nodded. "And the death eaters as well I suppose." He added in a murmur.

"You were considering on letting them live?" Jack Wilde, more commonly known as Spectrum, asked. "Do you know what they do?"

"Apart from the murder, rape, torture, and the shameless promotion of inbreeding?" Thomas asked, sounding slightly sarcastic though it was a rhetorical question. "No Jackie Boy I don't, why don't you enlighten me." He said lightly and Jack flushed slightly but said nothing. "I know exactly what they have done but that doesn't mean we should take them head on. That would be like a teenager picking on a toddler; which is absolutely ridiculous. Yes, they have magic but wands can be snapped and none of them have ever fought without it. We would basically be bullying them not that it wouldn't be justified." He added quickly when he gained many incredulous looks; even from his mate. "But we are long lived; virtually immortal and they are not. We are stronger, faster, and our powers are practically limitless. They are mundane in comparison to us."

"So you would let them live, after all they have done?" Billy asked his nephew with a slight raising of his brows.

"I would only attack them if they struck first," Thomas said firmly. "That is how I operate. I am a descendant from a long line of warriors and Chieftains' uncle. My ancestors would roll in their graves if I ever became the instigator." He eyed everyone in the circle before him. "Make no mistake; if anyone of them means to harm myself or my family, I will fight back. If it means that I will have to kill them to protect what I love; I will do so, as I always have. I'll just be extra careful this time around because I am not facing another immortal in battle, but a human."

Billy nodded thoughtfully at his nephews answer.

"Who would you take with you?" Old Quil asked Thomas.

"Apart from my family?" Thomas asked back and the elder Ateara nodded. "Only so many people; mainly those who volunteer and maybe those practice dummies we use because they could be used to help subdue the more violent targets." He paused and closed his eyes. "Another fear that I have is that when we go back and change things; our lives will change as well. I can already see a few scenarios where things could change drastically on this side of the Atlantic. Things would change anyway, but I'm afraid things would become more pronounced this way and we won't be able to stop it or know what's going on."

"The council will help you with the knowing part," His father told him and Thomas snapped his gaze over to him. "And they may be able to help guide those who stay behind. Your fears are justified and warranted; but with something like this there were bound to be risks."

Thomas just nodded his head, there was nothing more that he could say.

"There is a massive risk here," Billy began. "But all of you have power; all of you have the means to help. That means you have a responsibility to help and I, for one, will not stop any of you from going. Though I will caution you all to be careful and to not take things lightly. Doing so would be foolish and unwise," He turned to Thomas and smiled. "You have my blessing."

Thomas nodded gratefully to his uncle and turned to the other two Elders. Sue smiled at him as did old Quil.

"You have my blessing," They intoned together. Thomas nodded to them as well and sighed in relief. That was one hurdle done, now they just had to decide on who was going back.

* * *

**Not really happy with that ending but it was the best I could think of. Let me know your thoughts and critiques.**


	10. Going Back

**SEPTEMBER 22 2012**

**NERO INDUSTRIES MAGICAL DEPARTMENT, NEW YORK**

**2:30 PM**

"We'll be leaving in ten minutes everyone," Artorius Nero said to the group before him with his back facing the arc of the transporter. They chose today as the day to go back in tribute to the Harvest festival; an event that took place during the Southward Equinox or the September Equinox as it's sometimes called. Artorius thought it would be fitting to go on the day that was celebrated by both magical and mundane people in his mother's country of birth. His pride agreed whole heartedly with the choice. "And I want to say once more; thank you to those who volunteered to venture with us." He nodded to Thomas and his group who nodded back.

"It was no problem," Thomas murmured. "We're happy to help." His group nodded their agreement as they reflected on what happened in the time since their council meeting. Like when Thomas had made files for those who were heading back.

* * *

"Embry, for the last time there will be no try outs!" Thomas growled at his cousin who pouted outrageously at him. Their mates just watched them from the couch their were sitting on in Wolfe Manor and rolled their eyes in exasperation at the same time. Thomas had been edgy lately with all the stress from the work he was doing. Tanya had to physically drag him out of the study at times so he could take a break which was almost comical as he was more than twice her size. He took more breaks often; mostly in part to his daughter talking about not taking care of his mates needs. 'Women have needs you now,' she told him, much to his horror. Tanya had gasped out loud at what her daughter said while the others who heard laughed loudly. 'And you are not taking care of mommy's. How would you feel if she refused you?' She raised her eyebrows at him and Thomas let out a strangled noise that was a cross between a laugh and snarl. He wanted to laugh at his daughter's words and he wanted to snarl at the idiots who let themselves be overheard talking about him and Tanya. There was no way that someone willingly told her about it; they knew the consequences of what would happen from doing so.

"For fucks sake, we have no time to play out your stupid fantasy of reenacting the scene from the Replacements by having try outs! This is serious business and these," Thomas continued and held up a stack of files in his massive hand. "need to be done so they can be presented to Arthur and his team. We already have our volunteers and we don't need to make a spectacle out of things. If you're not going to help, then sit down and shut up!" He snarled and turned back to what he was doing Embry stared at him, mouth agape. He didn't think his idea was all that bad; in fact it was damn near brilliant if he said so himself.

"What crawled up your ass?" Embry demanded of Thomas who tried to ignore him but couldn't help but get a shot in.

"Just because you and Irina like to experiment does not mean everyone else does," He said. "My ass remains untouched. Don't know if I can say the same for you." _Though I still need to get Tanya back for her birthday gift from earlier in the year._ He thought to himself as he thought back to that...interesting day.

Embry grabbed a tea cup that was on the table in front of him and threw it at Thomas. Thomas just sat there and let the cup hit him knowing that it wouldn't break because everything in the house was charmed to be unbreakable by Esmeralda. The wolves were always rough housing with each other so Thomas asked if it would be possible to make the items last longer. Having seen the destruction first hand; Esmeralda helped them with charming things in the house.

When Thomas saw what Embry planned to do next, he stood up out of his chair and ran towards his cousin. Embry lifted him off of the ground but Thomas used his gift to smack Embry in the back of the head; making him lose focus. It was only for a moment but it was long enough for Thomas to tackle Embry to the ground.

As the two began to wrestle, their mates looked at each other and rolled their eyes before sighing. Tanya stood up and flitted over to the table that her mate was working on. Irina followed her and they both peered at the unopened files before them. With a shrug, Tanya picked up the first on and began to read. It was a file on her mates cousin, Tabitha Uley. It had a picture of her, listed her age of eighteen and her ability to manipulate the air around her. It showed her family ties and relationship to Demetri Denali, formerly Volturi. There were no intimate details of the relationship; not that Tanya expected there to be because Thomas would never do that to family though he did supply a warning not to attack either of them lest you incur the wrath of the other or the whole group.

She imagined that it was nearly the same for everyone and set the file back down. She turned to her sister who was reading a file herself and asked, "When should we intervene?"

Though she didn't look up, Irina knew what her sister meant.

"Let them fight it out for a bit, then we'll stop them." She set down the first file and picked up another. Tanya followed her example as their mates continued to wrestle.

* * *

Then there was the meeting between their group and Arthur's. A meeting that included more introductions and some training and some battle plans.

* * *

"These are my cousins, Matilda and Tabitha Uley," Thomas gestured to his fellow Alphas who nodded to the group before them. "Their mates Demetri Denali and Ethan McIntyre." He pointed to the two vampires who nodded as well. He went down the line; introducing those who were coming back like Derek and his sister Danielle along with their mates, Mary and Randal. The others included were Felix, Heidi, Santiago, Poseidon, Aphrodite, Angela, Athena, Garrett, Kate, Eleazar, Carmen, Collin, Brady, their mates Elena and Elektra, Seth, his mate Kassandra, her brothers Rami and Sami, and finally Rosalie, Emmett, and Esmeralda.

Those last three caused a bit of strain for Thomas in the beginning as he saw his godson's pained face at hearing Esmeralda volunteer to go with them. Thomas had already spoken to Rosalie and Emmett about the likeliness that Henry and Esmeralda were mates but he had never spoken to the two in question. He wasn't exactly sure on how to broach the subject to either of them and he doubted that the three adults involved would appreciate him bringing it up in front of anyone; including Henry even though they noticed Henry's behavior when it came to Esmeralda.

Henry, in a rare moment, had thrown a fit in front of everyone and begged her not to go. He even begged Thomas to talk some sense into her. Rosalie tried to calm him down but Henry snapped at her and said that the only reason she was doing that was because she was happy that Esmeralda was leaving and that she never cared about his happiness. He went on saying that he knew that she hated the magic user and that she probably planned this out. Rosalie denied it of course as it wasn't true and attempted to punish her son by grounding him and making him leave the room. Then Henry said something in his anger that broke Rosalie's heart even though Thomas tried to stop him.

"I hate you." He had spat at her with so much venom that made everyone who heard him recoil. Rosalie had frozen in place, as did Emmett and nearly everyone in hearing distance. Henry's eye's had widened in horror as he processed what he just said. As tears welled in his eyes, he fled the room, wailing as he did so. No one tried to stop him. No one moved until Rosalie fell to the floor and began to sob.

Thomas had thrown his shield around the house so Henry couldn't leave. The he threw up another one in the room so he could talk without Henry hearing him.

"Don't fret Rosalie," He had murmured to the sobbing vampire as he knelt in front of her while her mate had cradled her in his lap. "He did not mean that. He is angry and confused right now. He's mainly angry at himself for what just happened and confused about his feelings-"

He cut himself off as a vision of Rosalie lunging at Esmeralda flashed through his mind. He stood up and intercepted the raging vampire who began to thrash in his hold.

"You stupid bitch!" She had snarled at the magic user. "This is your fault!"

"No," Thomas had growled at her before shoving her towards Emmett who had caught his wife. "It is mine!" He snarled loudly to gain her attention which he did along with everyone else in the room. "I brought this to your attention before but I ignored the two people involved; the woman behind me and my godson. I have failed them both but I will make up for it right now." He spun around and faced a very pale magic user and spoke calmly.

"Esmeralda, I know that you have felt a pull towards Henry," Rosalie's growl cut him off and Thomas emitted one of his own but he ultimately ignored her. "And I know that you probably think it's something wrong with you however," He held up a hand to stop anyone from speaking. "You are not alone in those feelings; Henry feels something as well. I think, it has to do with your magic choosing someone who is compatible to be your mate. Henry's is doing the same."

"But Henry doesn't have any magic." Emmett had frowned as he held his wife back.

"He does," Thomas murmured while not looking at him. "His just works differently mostly in part to what Jenna specialized in."

"Which was Technomancy," Casey Regan murmured out loud. "Henry's vampire nature just took that and gave him a gift over technology and ignored everything else."

"Exactly," Thomas nodded. "It's still magic though and in some cases; one's magic does try to look for their other half and in this case, Henry and Esmeralda are the most compatible with each other. Now I know that you have your protests Esmeralda," He said over the growling that Rosalie was doing. "But no one is saying that you have to do anything now. When Henry is of age; it'll be up to you two as to how you want to go about this."

"No!" Rosalie shrieked. "I will not allow it!"

"This is not your decision!" Thomas spun around and yelled in her face eliciting a growl from Emmett. Thomas ignored him. "I already told you what could happen and you already know my decision, I will back Henry to the hilt," He sneered at her coldly. "Regardless of what he chooses, I will defend him with everything I have. You already know that Takodah has accepted him as one of my cubs and wolves do not take kindly to anyone who messes with their young. Now, if you will excuse me, I need to find my godson and ask for his forgiveness." He turned to his eldest son and asked, "Where is your brother?"

All the kids had seen each other as siblings despite not actually being siblings so it wasn't odd when the adults would call them brother and sister. Tristan hesitated.

_Please Tristan,_ Thomas thought to his son._ I am not mad at Henry but I do need to speak with him and explain why he feels the way that he does._

_He's in uncle Carlisle's study,_ Tristan offered after another moments hesitation. _Please be nice to him daddy, he's in a lot of pain right now._

"I promise," Thomas said out loud before heading towards his shield. "Esmeralda," He called the magic user and she looked at him. "You gonna be ok?" His eyes flickered to Rosalie who looked a little crazed before looking back at Esmeralda who simply nodded back. "I'll be back." He said to his wife and kids before walking through his shield. He flashed his way through the house until he was in front of Carlisle's study.

He knew the door was locked but he forced his way in while making a mental note to pay Carlisle back. He saw his godson flinch from his chosen spot in the corner of the room.

"Henry," He called softly but Henry buried his face into his hands and looked away from his godfather.

"Go away," Henry cried into his hands. Thomas closed the distance between them and pulled his godson into his lap. Henry didn't struggle but he did cry harder. "I didn't mean it!" He wailed as he fisted his godfathers shirt and buried his face into his shoulder.

"I know," Thomas crooned as he rubbed Henry's back. "You could never hate your mother."

Henry began to repeat those words over and over like a mantra. Thomas just rubbed his back until he felt Henry calm down. He then went on to explain why Henry felt the way that he did. Henry was angry at Thomas for keeping things from him though he did understand why he didn't but only just.

After a while, Thomas was able to convince Henry to come back with him to talk with his parents. It was hard for Henry who flinched when he saw his parents and hid behind his godfather, using him as a shield when his parents looked at him. Most of the room had been cleared and those who stayed behind remained quiet as Thomas gently moved Henry in front. Henry started crying again as he fell in front of Rosalie and grabbed her legs in need; wailing his apologies over and over. Rosalie scooped him up and hugged him to her; sobbing as she did so.

It had been hours before either he or Rosalie were ready to talk to anyone and the only people they talked to were Emmett, Thomas and Esmeralda. Rosalie still not like the topic of discussion but she put her dislike for it aside because she knew that Henry wanted to talk about it and not be left out.

Henry finally understood why he was acting the way he did but like Thomas said; nothing needed to be decided now. He still tried to convince Esmeralda not to go with them but she countered that she was the strongest magic user amongst them and that they would need her skill and power. Henry said he wanted to go back; something both his parents denied though the other two couldn't think of anything wrong with that. It almost got nasty when Thomas had to point out that his children were going with him (Anyone who thought he was leaving them behind would be an idiot in every sense of the word) along with Embry's and he would never let anything happen to them; why would Henry be any different?

With a massive amount of debating and reluctance, they agreed to come back with them.

* * *

"These figures are detailed replications of the human body," Esmeralda explained to the group who stared at the dummies in front of them. They were made of ballistic gelatin and were dressed up in robes. They were in a room tat could simulate any environment that the users wanted. Right now it was just a white room with seats for everyone. "They'll show you how much damage you can cause to an actual human. It would be good practice for you," She pointed at the vampires and shifters, "to learn how to restrain yourself. Everything operates normally except they don't think for themselves and they don't bleed red blood; I changed it to black though the consistency is the same." She waved her hand and three statue like figures appeared. One was black, another was red and the one in the middle was white. The black statue looked like a Trojan warrior, the red one looked like a Roman Centurion and the white statue looked like a Dacian foot soldier. None of the statues had any faces but the one common element that they all had was the wolf head carved into their breastplates.

"They're fantastic," Thomas flashed in front of them and looked at them closely. "You out did yourself with these, Esmeralda."

"Many thanks Thomas," Esmeralda murmured. "Do you want to name them?" She asked him and he gave her a look. "What?"

"Shouldn't you be naming them?" Thomas asked her. "After all, you made them."

"You asked me too," Esmeralda shrugged. "And I must admit, they're a lot better to look at then the other ones I made." She waved her hand again and more figures appeared behind the first three but these were slightly different. There were five figures behind each of the first three Esmeralda brought. All were in the same colors as those they were standing behind. They had the same armor but no helmets and no wolf head carved into the breastplates and they had no faces in fact; the heads were just smooth with no added features at all. They sort looked like the head of those dolls that artist use as a reference for a human body. "I envisioned these three having back up and here they are; the nameless. That's what I call them." She added when Thomas looked at her again.

"And yet you ask me if I want to name them," He commented with a nod to the first three figures.

"You're better at picking names then I am." Esmeralda shrugged again. Thomas just nodded his head.

"Maybe later but for now let see how well we can restrain ourselves, Zero," He looked over to Derek. "You're up first."

Zero cracked his knuckles and nodded his head.

"Hand to hand," Esmeralda told him. "No super strength."

"I know," Zero murmured as he rolled his shoulders. The statues had moved off to the side and the practice dummies moved forward, fake wands in hand.

"The spells they are casting are just stunners though they won't do much to you." When she heard Bertram and Embry snicker, she turned to them. "Something funny?" She asked them.

"Star Trek," Was all they said. At her confused look they gasped. "You don't know Star Trek?!" They demanded of her.

"Don't answer that," Thomas warned her. "We're wasting time."

"But-"

The look Thomas gave them caused them both to go silent. Thomas just nodded his head and told Esmeralda to begin. The lead dummy shot off a stunner which Zero dodged. Zero ran to the one who fired the spell and disarmed it; literally. The other occupants winced as he tore the dummy's arm off at the elbow; black liquid spurted out of the torn limb. Zero continued dodging and by the end of it the majority of the dummies were 'dead' while the rest lost limbs.

Zero looked over to the group with a sheepish expression.

"Sorry," He muttered. Thomas shook his head at him.

"This is just training and we will keep training even when we go back," Thomas told him before adding mentally, _Though we all have a long way to go._

* * *

In the present, everyone was thinking about the first part of their plan which was relatively simple. The U.K. magicals would each take back an invention Artorius made called a memory sphere. It was a metal orb that could fit into the palm of someone's hand and record their memories starting from birth to the point in which they touched it. Each had their own orb and the second part of the plan was to get it into the hands of their past selves. It could very well damage the minds of the younger versions with the over loading of memories but Artorius made it so that they would gradually release the memories instead of all at once.

Of course, he acknowledged that they could do just that as he never tested it while going back in time. He had no idea what would happen.

The second part mostly involved Harry but it couldn't be done until after they had completed the first part.

Thomas and his group had brought a bunch of trunks that had been expanded on the inside and were filled many items from the armories that were left to Thomas and his children. They also brought the head gear that they made for Bertram, Artorius and Wilfred.

They made Bertram a black Corinthian helmet with a silver plume. Artorius received a gold lion's cowl helm with a face plate that he could remove. And Wilfred was given a white military ballistic face mask; the moth was in the shape of tigers jaw.

Thomas wasn't worried though he did get visions ; one that made no sense to him. He saw the outline of three figures but not their faces. There was a light behind them and it allowed him to see what they were wearing. One had a horned helmet and wore a grey and shorts but no shirt while holding a two ponged staff more commonly known as a Bident. The figure in the middle wore a gold cape and shorts. A laurel wreath adorned the figures head while it held a staff that had a jagged point like a lightning bolt. The last figure was also in gold but it was bigger than the other two. It had a crown with three points on it's head and it held a three pronged spear known as a trident.

Thomas didn't know what to make of it; neither did the others. They knew what those weapons were and who those figures could be but why would Thomas get a vision of the sons of Kronos? It made no sense; they hadn't offended the gods of the Greek pantheon. At least, they didn't think they had offended them.

The other thing he saw was a scarred, golden eyed nomad named Antinous fighting a horde of vampires that were in Volterra with a broken Spatha that was clearly made by Thomas' Dacian friends. He had known of Antinous for awhile now; learning of him from some journals that belonged to Vladimir and Stefan as well as a vision he had a month after the defeat of the Volturi last year around the same time his new home in Romania was about to get attacked. Antinous went to a gathering of vampires in a sea cave on the island of Staffa in Scotland called Fingal's Cave. The vampires there were from different parts of Europe and they discussed the fall of the old regime and what it meant for them.

It had turned ugly at one point for Antinous who ended up killing a few vampires before the meeting had broken up and he left but not before having a few words with some vampires that he seemed to know intimately.

Demetri had mentioned that Antinous was his predecessor in the guard before he joined. He said that he was initially afraid of Antinous when they first met because of the scars but Antinous was polite to him; even going so far as to offer him his congratulations for getting his spot. Demetri did comment that he was tense in Aro's presence and that he looked angry when Aro spoke to him during their meeting.

Vladimir and Stefan said that he was there when their mates were killed. They said he tried to stop Jane and Alec from torturing them but he was injured himself by Jane. They had known of him from reports that he killed an entire group of their friends who were blacksmiths which Thomas thought was how he got the sword. Both Dacian warriors would have gladly died by his hand in battle and they held a certain respect for Antinous after he tried to help them and their mates from their torture.

Antinous had placed himself near Volterra to protect it from those who thought it would be wise to break a rule that had been implemented since the construction of the castle there.

Thomas would periodically send notes to the nomad to help him know who would try to harm any of the humans there. Antinous was more than capable of fighting but Thomas thought it would be helpful none the less. Alice would take over in that duty while they were gone.

"It's time," Artorius announced before turning to Lucas Delarge and giving him a nod. Lucas typed the incantation to use the hourglass into his computer. Various machines began to start up and the runes on them began to glow. Lucas then typed in the date that they were heading back to; August 10, 1994, 12 days prior to the Quidditch World Cup. It would give them time to get everything into place and help with phase two of the plan. The arc structure of the machine began to glow in the center until the glow receded and there in it's place was a swirling cloud that spun clockwise.

Artorius, Bertram, and Wilfred stepped forward first. They adjusted their magically enhanced stop watches on their wrists; making sure that they were functioning. It was something they developed before to use to come back to their own time. It had one destination set in (the time they left or at least the day that they left) unless they changed it themselves. To go back they merely had to press the stop button and say the word Kairos; they would then be transported back to their time. They had made a back up device which would be stored in one of the trunks that were being brought.

They squared their shoulders and stepped forward; they already said their goodbyes and now it was time to change history. After they stepped through the cloud the others began to follow at a measured pace until they all went through.

"God speed," Lucas muttered as he let the machine power down.

Up in the heavens, the god known as Zeus smiled at the scene.

"Now things are about to get interesting," Was all he said into the quiet room.

* * *

**Another one done. Big thanks to whomever nominated me for the Energize W.I.P. Award in the "Most promising Crossover FanFiction" category. I am really flattered for receiving the nomination. I will get the next chapter up as soon as I can.**


	11. First Day

**AUGUST 10, 1994**

**12:00 PM**

The weary group of time travelers had appeared in the general area of where the world cup would take place. This was done so when the Ministry sensors would picked up the amount of magical energy exerted would potentially be assumed that it was workers from Ireland and Bulgaria who were chosen to set things up for the pitch along with a few officials from the British minsitry. If anyone did come to investigate, the group would be long gone by then.

"You all know what to do and all of you are prepared," Artorius murmured. "Let us split up and do what needs to be done. Contact Esmeralda when you are finished and we will rendezvous later near Spinners End." He turned to Harry and motioned for him to follow. Harry turned to his wives and gave them each a kiss on the lips before walking over to his cousin. Thomas and Tanya followed them with their children. The others split into their groups while Esmeralda began pulling out various items and handing them to each group. They muttered the spell to create a portkey so they could head to their destinations. She also gave the vampires and hybrids some charmed necklaces that would stop them from sparkling in the sunlight though they planned not to be out that often.

After a nod to everyone else; Draco and Narcissa, along with Embry and his family who went with them, left for Malfoy manor in Wiltshire. Astoria, Daphne, along with Demetri, Tabitha, Evan, and Matilda headed to Greengrass manor in Ipswich. Blaise and Tracey would go to her house in Crawley first with Heidi, Felix, and Santiago before heading to Zabini manor in Canterbury. Brady, Collin, and their mates were going with Hermione to her place in London. Hannah and Susan were heading to Kent where Hannah lived since both of their younger selves would be there and Neville was going to tag along with them as his younger self was grounded and would be under the watch of his grandmother. The rest were going with Esmeralda to find some place as a safe house in the town of Cokeworth for the time being until better accommodations could be found.

* * *

At nearly six o'clock on number four Privet drive, Surrey, the younger Harry Potter was in his room reading a letter he had gotten from his friend Ron when he heard the doorbell ring. He got off his bed and looked out the window curiously. His aunt and uncle didn't say that they were expecting guest though that may have been because they tended to avoid him as much as possible; mainly due to him informing him that the escaped convict Sirius Black was his godfather. He casually mentioned that they were in contact and that he wouldn't be too pleased to hear that Harry was unhappy.

Harry saw a limousine out near the curb and some of the neighbors were on their front lawns or peaking out of their windows and staring at the car. Harry couldn't see who was at the front door but he opened his window slightly to hear what was going on.

"Dudley Dursley?" A deep voice said. Harry noted that the accent was American which caused him to frown as last he checked his uncle and aunt didn't really know - or like- anyone who was an American.

"That's me and who are you Yankee?" Harry heard his cousin ask rudely.

"My name is James De Wolfe, and these are my associates, Mathias Black, Narcissus Nero, and William Greyson." Harry heard the voice say and perked up slightly at the mention of the name Black. He wondered if he was a relation to Sirius though he tuned back into the conversation when the voice spoke again. "Are your parents home?"

"Who is at the door son?" Harry heard his uncle yell from the kitchen.

"Just some yanks dad," Harry could hear the sneer in his cousins voice. "Got a fancy car out front too." Dudley added.

There was a pause before Harry heard his uncle speak.

"How may I help you...gentlemen?" Harry imagined it was difficult for his uncle to be civil to complete strangers but with the neighbors looking in their direction he didn't have much of a choice.

"Yes," The voice from before said quietly though Harry caught an undelaying hint of anger in the tone that was used. "We are here to inquire about young Harry-"

"You are one of those freaks!" Harry heard his cousin hiss though Harry blinked a little. _Why would they be here for me?_ He thought to himself. "Why else would you want to speak to the freak up stairs?!"

"Watch your mouth you insolent whelp." The same voice snarled coldly but quietly and Harry grimaced slightly though he was happy that he wasn't in front of this person. Not yet at least. "That _freak_ as you like to call him is the son of Lord Jamieson Charlus Potter and Lady Lily Marie Potter nee' Evans. Two war heroes and two brilliant people unlike your walrus of a father and your horse faced mother."

"Why you-" Harry heard his uncle begin as he tried not to snicker at hearing the insults made against his relatives. He pondered as to how this person knew his parents status and why he called his father Jamieson instead of James.

"The next words that comes out of that mouth of yours _vermin_," The voice said calmly and Harry imagined that there would be a sneer on the persons face. "better not be insults and instead words of you allowing us to enter this house."

"I will do no such thing!" Harry heard his uncle growl and imagined his face taking on a dark shade of puce.

"You will," The person growled back and Harry noticed that it was an actual growl. "Or we will go to the local authorities and tell them about that little scam you have going on at Grunnings; you know, the one where you have been stealing from your bosses?" There was a pause and Harry could practically hear the smile in the person's voice when he spoke again. "That's right vermin, we know all about that. We also know that your son is a delinquent along with the rest of those dumbasses he calls friends."

"Our Dudders is no delinquent!" Harry heard his aunts shrill voice join the conversation. "I don't know who you think you are-"

"I am someone who is of sound mind and body _madam_," The word madam was dripping in so much sarcasm that Harry was sure even Dudley could pick up on it. "That means that I am someone who recognizes that both of you are shit parents and that your son has the stupidest name in the history of the world." There was a pause before the person spoke again; anger evident in their voice. "Do you really want to have this conversation outside with all these witnesses or do you want to have it in private? Use what little brain cells all of you have before you answer my question."

The pause that took place was significantly longer then Harry heard his uncle spat the words, "Get in!"

"Don't push your luck Dursley," Another voice said before Harry heard foot steps before the door was slammed.

"Boy!" His uncle shouted. "Get your lazy arse down here right now!"

* * *

Thomas Matthews, in his guise as James De Wolfe grabbed Vernon by his shoulder, spun him around so they were face to face, before griping the large man by the shirt with one hand and lifting him off of the ground. His other hand gripped a wooden cane that he brought with him tightly. The only reason it hadn't shattered from the amount of tension Thomas put on it was because it was enchanted.

"What is your problem vermin?" Thomas demanded of the elder Dursley who paled dramatically though he tried to act tough.

"Put me down you animal-" Was as far Vernon got before Thomas cut him off.

"Oh trust me vermin, you have no idea how animalistic I can get." He sneered before raising the hand that held the cane upwards without taking his eyes off of Vernon. "Don't bother there champ," He told Dudley who had stepped menacingly towards him but stopped when Thomas raised his cane which poked his flabby chest. Dudley smacked the cane away but Thomas swung it back and hit Dudley in the face. He cried out and Petunia shrieked.

"How dare y-"

"Utter one more syllable and I will gut you like a fish," Thomas said coldly as he heard a door open and close before there was foot steps. The foot steps came closer before they stopped.

"Hello Harry," Artorius in his guise as Mathias Black spoke calmly. "My name is Mathias, this is my cousin, Narcissus," He gestured to Bertram. "Our best friend William," He pointed to Wilfred. "And the man holding your uncle is my other cousin James." Thomas turned to Harry and smiled warmly at the bewildered teen who was reaching for his wand in his back pocket.

"We are not here to harm you Harry," Thomas told him though his gaze shifted back to Harry's 'relatives'. Thomas refused to call them Harry's family because they were anything but. "We just wish to speak with you on the matter of your real family as we are distantly related to your godfather, Sirius with we and to help him in his time of need." Thomas paused and though he didn't see it, he knew Harry had gone still. "However we don't have much influence but if you wish to help; we will not turn you away."

"Perhaps we should discuss this in private?" Bertram said. "Away from those," He glanced at the Dursley's. "who have no business in hearing the conversation?"

The silence that followed would have been disconcerting but Thomas, Bertram, Wilfred, Artorius, and the older Harry - who was hiding under his cloak- were waiting patiently for the young Potter to reach his decision.

"We can use my room to talk," The younger Harry said firmly. Part of him was wary about this but he reasoned that if they wanted to harm Harry they would have done so by now. Plus he really wanted to help his godfather. "It will be a tight fit but it's private."

"You will-"

Thomas dropped Vernon like a sack of potatoes before he could complete the sentence. Thomas glared down at the man who was moaning in pain while he held the cane up and pointed it and Petunia and Dudley.

"That wasn't even a six foot drop vermin and you're bit-" Thomas stopped when Vernon tried to kick his legs out. The problem with that was Vernon didn't have enough strength in his legs as he used to when he was a wrestler in school and Thomas was more solid than a brick wall. Vernon gave a yelp and Thomas just rolled his eyes. "You two; in there." He snapped at Petunia and Dudley while pointing at the living room with his cane. "Now!" He growled at them when they hesitated and they scurried away from him. "Get up vermin and join your wretched family."

Thomas glared at Vernon again when Vernon wanted to say something. Vernon huffed and crawled into the living room.

"You three head on up," Thomas told the others when Vernon finally managed to stand up and walk though he had an exaggerated limp. "I wanna speak with them for a moment." He nodded to the Dursley's.

"You sure?" Wilfred asked. While not apart of the plan there wasn't any problem with one of them keeping these...people occupied though he wasn't sure any of the members of their group could be in the same room with them and not do something to frighten the ever loving shit out of them. Hell Thomas had just lifted the fat tub of lard when they had just entered the room because he insulted Harry for something he didn't do or say.

"Yeah," Thomas nodded, "Don't worry, they'll be alive when you get back."

No one missed the fact that he didn't say that they wouldn't be unharmed. Thomas rolled his eyes at them when they hesitated and walked into the living room.

"Well I suppose that's that," Artorius muttered to himself before looking at the younger Harry. "Ready to talk?" He asked him and Harry nodded.

"Follow me," He told them and they walked up the stairs. He lead them to his room and let them inside. "Now how are we going to help Sirius?"

* * *

"Now just who the hell do you think you are?!" Vernon demanded as soon as he saw Thomas enter but flinched when Thomas leveled a glare at him. Thomas adjusted his coat as he began to pace. Dudley eyed his converse shoes greedily and Petunia sniffed at them.

"You will speak when I allow you to vermin," Thomas said in a dangerously soft voice. He twirled his cane for a bit before speaking again. "That goes for all of you. Now sit down."

"My name is Vernon-"

Thomas flicked his hand slightly and his shield knocked Vernon in to his chair. Petunia gasped and Dudley charged at Thomas who merely moved out of the way and hit the back of Dudley's knees; making him fall onto his back and causing a tremor to go through the floor. Thomas calmly walked to an open chair as Petunia rounded on him.

"How-"

"Shut up," Thomas interrupted with a scowl. "and sit down. All of you," He added when he locked eyes with Dudley who narrowed his piggy little eyes. "Move it Dudders," Thomas mocked the teen who scowled but got to his feet and shuffled over to the couch and plopped down. Petunia followed next though she kept glancing at the phone and Vernon was turning an interesting shade of purple. "You should calm down vermin, before you have a stroke. As for what you said earlier; I could give a shit as to what your name is. I will call you whatever I want." Thomas commented as he sat in a free chair opposite the three Dursley's. He was really the only one that could keep these three occupied as the others were needed to help Harry with his transition after getting all those memories.

His eyes glazed over as he checked to see if their plan was going to work with the younger Harry Potter. So far it looked like it did even though Harry would be overwhelmed but he would continue to check after he called to his wolf.

_Takoda,_ Thomas thought as he eyed the three people in front of him, making them squirm. _Can you hear me?_

_I heard you the first time you got there cub,_ Takoda replied, sounding amused. _Or did you forget our conversation we just had before all of you rented the limo and changed clothes?_

_Hey for all I know the link could have been blocked,_ Thomas pointed out. _I feel the need to keep checking._

_Don't worry,_ Takoda murmured to him. _The link won't break and so far nothing drastic has happened to the timeline._

_But something has happened none the less,_ Thomas said as the Dursley's began to get impatient. _Tell me later unless it's important; I need to deal with these_..._things_. He added in a mental growl.

_I will cub and try not to get carried away,_ Takoda tried to sound stern though Thomas could tell that he wasn't hoping that Thomas would hold back. Thomas held back a smirk as he slammed his cane into the floor, causing the Dursley's to jump.

"Now give me one good reason as to why I shouldn't skin all of you alive right here, right now, for what you have done to my cousin?" He demanded and received three blank stares.

"Excuse me?" Petunia said.

"You're excused," Thomas said dryly and Petunia bristled. Thomas ignored her and looked at the other two. "Gentlemen? Perhaps you can provide an answer?"

"What are you talking about Yank?" Dudley snarled pathetically at Thomas who merely cocked an eyebrow. _That is the best he can do?_ He thought.

"I am referring to your behavior against Harry," Thomas continued in the same dry tone. "Or the _freak_ as you monsters like to call him."

"We are not the monsters!" Vernon yelled at Thomas who narrowed his eyes and bared his teeth. "We are good honest folks being plagued by the likes of you!"

"And what right do you have to judge anyone?" Thomas growled through his teeth.

"We are god fearing people," Petunia sneered at Thomas who growled even more. The Dursley's either didn't hear the growling or they were so firm in their belief that they had any right to judge someone that they chose to ignore it. "And this is a house of god. The Bible says _'Thou shall not suffer a witch to live'_. You freaks deserve to burn!"

"The Bible also says things like '_You shall not eat of their flesh nor touch their carcasses; they are unclean to you.' _That is a reference to pork which I am sure is something the fat bastards sitting near you love to enjoy." Thomas sneered back not even bothering to correct Petunia in thinking that he was a wizard. Vernon and Dudley glared at him but they were ignored. "The Bible also says things against wearing gold or pearls or fancy garments which is what you are wearing right now. Do not bring god into this or quote scripture to me you stupid, hypocritical bitch!"

Vernon bellowed his anger along with Dudley at the insult against Petunia who looked like she been slapped very, very, hard. Frankly she never had her faith thrown back into her face before and before she could retaliate, Thomas moved on to her husband and son.

"Oh shut up you two," Thomas snapped and his eyes began to glow. "I speak the truth! Just because you think yourselves above everyone else does not make it so. I have a feeling that merely yelling at Harry and spreading lies about him to your neighbors are not all that you have done. Oh no; I'm sure there is more and if it is what I think it is, I will send all of you to the gates of hell myself!"

The Dursley's stared at Thomas in horror a his voice deepened, his eyes changed color, his teeth elongated, and his teeth sharpened into fangs. They hadn't bothered to ask about how he knew what they were telling the neighbors nor was it a thought at the front of their minds.

"You're a monster," Petunia said, her voice more shrill than usual.

"Said the woman who is the physical embodiment of the question 'why the long face?' "Thomas rolled his eyes at her. "The same woman who married a fat bigot, then bore and birthed his fat and spoiled spawn. You seem to love the Bible so much yet you ignore certain passages in favor of others because in your demented minds; you are in the right when you are so very wrong. Might I suggest reading and practicing the passage that talks about disciplining your children. It might make your precious Dudders here into something that resembles a man as opposed to the despicable beast I see before me." He paused and stood slowly as he got glimpses of Harry passing out in the limo later on as they drove away. Dudley's friends were already outside and would be at the door soon enough. Thomas had a nice surprise for the bastards that thought it was right to bully young children.

"None of you are worthy to be called human," Thomas said with ice in his voice and the Dursley's flinched though they remained defiant. "None of you are worthy to be made into worms meat when you die. I will say this though; you'll get yours long before that time comes and I will gladly watch all of you burn." He paused as he heard Harry's bedroom door open and several set's of footsteps headed towards the stairs. "I am pretty sure my family and I will be leaving now and Harry will be coming with us."

"That freak is going no where!" Vernon snapped and got of his seat. Thomas twisted his cane before pulling it apart to reveal a hidden blade. He pressed it against Vernon's throat when Vernon was an arms length away. Petunia gave an over dramatic gasp. Dudley froze in his spot and Vernon turned white.

"Go ahead and take one more step vermin," Thomas spat coldly and pressed the blade further into Vernon's neck but didn't pierce the skin. "I dare you."

There was a knock at the door and the magicals descended the stairs. They had some of Harry's things like his familiar Hedwig and his trunk.

"We good?" Thomas asked and he received murmurs of agreement from behind him. "Good, now vermin," He said to Vernon as he sheathed his blade. "Your sister is a fat drunk who fucks her dogs since no man will ever touch her." Thomas dropped his cane and caught Vernon who began to tackle him with a roar. Thomas held him off with a smile and calmly told the others to go stand by the door. He moved Vernon in the path of the doorway as the man tried to get a grip on him. Thomas spun him around and told Artorius to open the door. He shoved Vernon through it just as it opened; sending him flying right into Piers Polkiss who was right in front. Both of them knocked into the other members of Dudley's gang; sending them sprawling all over the front porch.

"No means no Dursley!" Thomas roared so his voice would carry over to the other side of the street which actually had a crowd formed. "I will not bugger you no matter how much money you offer me! I don't care if you have some extra cushion for the pushin!" He stalked over to the door and glared at Vernon's back. Vernon was frozen with fear as were his wife and neighbors across the street stared wide eyed at the scene and Thomas struggled not to laugh which was difficult because he could hear his wolf laughing like there was no tomorrow. He could tell that his family were doing the same though he was sure that both Harry's were a little green at this point at the images they just got.

More neighbors came out of their houses and some were the parents of the boys who had just been knocked over.

"If you like sleeping with men then more power to you but I am a happily married man with a wife and three children; I would never turn my back on them just because you feel the need to get freaky. And why are you still on top of that boy?" Thomas demanded acting as if he were oblivious to his surroundings. Thomas widened his eyes and adopted a horrified expression. "My god; that's him isn't?! The lover you spoke about? Yes he's exactly as you described him; rat faced and skinny but I thought he was a man! This is a boy what the hell is wrong with you?!"

Thomas danced out the way as he heard Dudley's foot steps thundering in his direction.

"My dad is not a fucking poofter!" He roared and Thomas tripped him, causing him to fall face first into his fathers fat behind.

"Why do I get the feeling that this is a normal position for the two of you?!" Thomas exclaimed. "Honestly Vernon have you been sleeping with all of these boys?! It might explain why you were so quick to defend them when I said that they were a bad crowd."

Thomas looked up when he heard the parents of the boys protest loudly.

"And who the hell are you?!" Thomas said stepping over the groaning boys who were only just getting up. _I may have over done that shove,_ Thomas thought. _Either that, or all of them are really weak. It's probably the latter._ "More freaks in this hellish party?" He added as he cleared the pile of bodies on the ground.

Petunia, Dudley, and Vernon all seemed to snap at that point. The rational part of their minds -which had very little influence on their overall thought process- vanished completely as a white hot rage filled all three of them at Thomas' words. Vernon snarled and got to his feet with speed no one knew he had along with Dudley. Petunia picked up a vase, raised it over her head, and charged for the door; screaming all the way.

Wilfred tripped her as he ran by though no one noticed. She stumbled, letting go of the vase; sending it flying across the yard and into the face of one of the parents who came to help their sons. Vernon and Dudley trampled Dudley's friends as they made their way to Thomas; both were literally foaming at the mouth. Petunia fell onto one of the boys; her nose connected with the boys forehead and the bridge of it broke.

Vernon reached Thomas first. A fat hand clutched Thomas' coat; the other one was pulled back and ready to swing. Thomas ducked the punch thrown at him and the punch hit one of the other parents who had snuck up behind him. The force of the punch caused the man to spin around three hundred and sixty degrees before falling to the ground. Thomas hoisted Vernon over his shoulder and dropped him on the ground.

A cry of pain erupted from the man Vernon punched. Vernon had landed right on top of him after he was dropped. He cried out again when Dudley joined them.

"That's it!" Thomas yelled. "C'mon boys," He called into the house. "We're going to the police and reporting this filth," He sneered at the groaning people around him. "For what they have done here today."

The magicals exited the house with poorly suppressed grins. The surveyed the 'damage' that Thomas had 'caused' and had to really stop themselves from laughing. They would have felt sorry for these people but they were just as bad as the Dursley's. Bertram tossed Thomas his cane and they all made their way to the limo. Thomas tensed as he caught a parting shot Vernon was about to make.

"Go on then you ungrateful little freak!" Vernon spat at Harry as he stood up and there were a few gasps heard. "We never wanted you in the first place! You should have been killed just like your freak of a father and that whore mother of yours! The world would be better off!"

Both Harry's felt their magic swell at the insults made against James and Lily. Wilfred and Artorius dragged Harry away while Bertram placed a notice me not charm on himself so he could grab the invisible Harry. Thomas gripped his cane and spoke to Vernon with so much venom in his voice that it made those who were listening shiver.

"You have over stepped your bounds vermin," He said with a glare and a slight flaring of his nostrils. "You have just insulted a deceased lord and his lady," The neighbors who were watching the spectacle were listening intently. Some had already called the police to report what was going on but they listened all the same. Arabella Figg was watching from her house since the limo had arrived and fire called for the headmaster at Hogwarts when Harry started to leave with the others but he wasn't in. "Harry's father was the Earl of Richmond and his godfather is the Baron of Blackmore. You dare to insult Harry's parents?! You dare to lie to these people by saying that Harry is disturbed and that he goes to a school that hasn't been open since 1976?! I have no idea why Harry came here but mark my words; he will never come back, not if I have anything to say about it."

Thomas paused and made a show of turning towards the car before turning back to the nervous looking Vernon. He was looking at some of the neighbors like he was trying to assess how they felt.

"Oh, and one more thing," He stepped forward and swung his cane towards Vernon's face. He clipped Vernon's jaw with enough force to break it. He shoved Vernon into Dudley who was coming up to them. "So you never tell any more of your lies." Thomas spat and spun around to head towards the car leaving as blood started to pool in Vernon's mouth before spilling over. "Someone should call an ambulance and the police; we will be heading there now to see if charges can be made here for what happened today though I am sure that the Surrey police would be more than willing to help." Thomas told the crowd a he opened the door and got in the car though he knew that they already did.

Those that gathered looked like they wanted to to try and stop them from leaving so they could speak to the police but really what had they done to warrant a citizens arrest? The Dursley's attacked one person who defended himself and insulted their own nephew and his deceased parents. The growing list of things against the Dursley's included sexual harassment and sex with a minor- if the same person was to be believed. They had heard rumors about Dudley and his friends bullying and harming some of the children in the area but weren't sure if it was true. They probably wouldn't be surprised if it was.

Looking at the downed group who were muttering threats about the people who were leaving, the others decided to just wait this one out as they were sure that this would not be over anytime soon.

* * *

"That was the most heavy handed approach I have ever taken," Thomas said with a sigh as he held his daughter. They were in an abandoned lot and were getting ready to transport to Cokeworth. "I really need to work on being more subtle." He had been mentally berating himself about what happened since they left, much to the amusement of his wolf.

"They deserved it," His daughter huffed. "They were mean to you and everyone else especially uncle Harry," She smiled at both of them. She and the other kids had taken to calling Harry uncle during their time of training. "I wish that you threw the fat walrus through a window." She giggled.

"Minerva!" Tanya hissed with a glare. Minerva frowned and wondered what she did wrong. Thomas hid a smile as he knew what was going to happen. "Do not compare that thing to a walrus; that is an insult to walrus's everywhere." Tanya grinned when her daughter giggled even more and the others roared with laughter. She did that to try and lift people's spirit's after they all felt a little drained from the experience with the Dursley's. Tanya had half a mind to go back on her diet and drain all three of them dry. She didn't though because that would have drawn too much attention and possibly given her indigestion.

The Harry of 1994, now imbued with the memories from his future self, was tired but he needed a good laugh. He felt a little embarrassed about passing out as they left Privet drive but he was happy to laugh all the same.

"Wouldn't the plural of walrus be walri?" Bertram mused. "I mean the plural of cactus is cacti so..." He trailed off as he noticed the looks that he was getting. "What?"

"Walri is not a word," Thomas began. "And you really need to stop hanging out with my cousin; he's making you stupid with his stupidity." He teased.

"No, Bertram was always like that," Artorius sighed and looked at Bertram with something akin to pity. "I first thought that he may have suffered some minor brain damage when we were children. He hit his head pretty hard on the marble floor at my house because it had just been recently waxed. I thought he was acting strange afterwards but I realized that he was coming into his own and just being himself and that can't really be helped."

Bertram nickered indignantly as the others laughed and he glared at everyone.

"Uncle Bertram, that would be scarier if we didn't know that you could turn into a horse." Tristan piped up. Bertram raised his eyebrows at him in silent question. "Horses aren't scary." He explained.

"Try telling that to those who get kicked in the face by a horse," Bertram pointed out. "Or those who get trampled by a group of horses."

"But why would we get kicked in the face by a horse," Erik raised his eyebrows at Bertram. "Or trampled? Animals don't really come near us because they recognize that were are predators. Even the predators give us a wide berth. Plus we're all pretty solid," He gestured to himself and his siblings. "And we'll continue to get more solid." He looked at his father with a questioning look. Thomas nodded at him in affirmative. The kids would only get stronger as they got older and potentially surpass Thomas in strength. In truth; any children of those who had ascended could be stronger than their parents. There wasn't really any way to tell as those who did ascend had yet to fully test their limits.

Another interesting things was the venom the male wolf hybrids possessed. It worked a lot like vampire venom in that it was acidic but it was poisonous to vampires. They only leant of that by testing the boys venom against a vampires and it virtually destroyed the vampire venom and the equipment that was used to observe the cells within them. They never tested it against human blood and they were a bit hesitant to do so.

"Let's get going," Thomas murmured but his daughter patted his chest to get his attention. "Yes angel?" He asked her.

"Aren't you going to get back at the mean people?" She asked him with a frown.

"That is already underway my angel," Thomas smirked as he began to touch a part of a rope that would portkey the group to a house that Esmeralda had picked out. They already got the location of where they needed to go when they were in the car. "The Dursley's have no idea what lies in store for them." He added before they were whisked away.

Thomas and company had broken into Vernon's office earlier and made copies of all the files he had hidden in his secret compartment. What they found was like something out of the Producers. Multiple ledgers were found with the same dates but different numbers of profit. Vernon had kept books to show to his bosses that held false information and others with the correct ones. The evidence by itself would have Vernon behind bars for quite sometime; when the police read Harry's letter and see the cupboard under the stairs, he would be lucky to live a week after his incarceration. Same went for his wife.

Petunia would wish to die of embarrassment from what happened this day and may get her wish after what happens with her and Vernon. Dudley would be injured in a drunken brawl that he and his 'boys' would be involved in outside of Hackney. He would get jail time after evidence of his behavior from all around his neighborhood came flooding in.

The Dursley's 'normal' life had ended at Twilight and their new one would be starting very soon.

* * *

"Brother, this is insanity," A soft and hollow voice murmured. The voice was also warped a little because the person speaking was wearing a helmet. "the Moirai have not only allowed these mortals to go back in time but they have let them change things that should not have been changed. This cannot be allowed to continue."

"And what would you have me do Hades?" Zeus demanded from his throne as he peered at his elder brother. He gripped his thunderbolt in irritation. "I may be king of the gods but the fates predate us; predate our father and grandfather even. I do not tell them what to do just like you do not tell the Erinyes what to do despite the fact that they live in the underworld with you."

Hades considered what his brother said. True; he never ordered the gracious ones around but the fates always had a soft spot for Zeus and the god of the underworld tried to get his brother to make a play on that.

"The others have already noticed the change in the timeline," Hades continued. "Thanatos is demanding answers for why a good number of those who were supposed to die in the coming years suddenly have disappeared off of his lists. The goal for these mortals have set not only infringe on death's domain; but your son's as well. By preventing the upcoming civil war between Hecate's descendants, Ares will feel slighted and you know he has changed brother."

"I know that Hades," Zeus hissed with narrowed eyes but Hades was unperturbed. "Do you think I have lost the ability to use my own two eyes? I know what my son has become; a shadow of what he used to be. He no longer is the honorable man that I once knew and was proud of. The mortals have always affected us as we have them. As the mortals no longer feel the need to fight as they used too; Ares has always tried underhanded tactics to invoke conflict. Some times it works sometimes it doesn't. He was really excited about what happened during the second world war and has been trying to invoke a third for a long time. I would not put it past him to use this excursion to his advantage by influencing the mortals as himself."

"Which is something that goes against our laws," Poseidon piped up from his throne. "The fates allow us three to view and go to the past to learn from our mistakes without changing them and they have let us watch this mission the mortals have embarked on. If Ares attempts to abuse the fates his position by helping the mortals as a god; he will be stripped of his godhood and cast into the depths of Tartarus."

"I am not stupid Poseidon," Zeus growled as his eyes began to glow electric blue. "I know the laws; mother earth taught them to me while I planned to get you and the others out of our father's belly. I know what will happen if my son breaks the law and I will have to be the one to banish him!"

Poseidon held his hands up in surrender.

"I know that brother," He said honestly. "I wouldn't wish what you may have to do on anyone; not even my own worst enemy. This is nothing more than talk between us but Hades does raise a great point; the gods, both minor and major will be affected by what the fates have allowed to happen. We need to prepare for what could happen here because it could get ugly. I suggest consulting with Athena; she can provide as many possible angles to which we could contain any in fighting amongst the gods."

Zeus slumped in his throne and nodded his head. He had no idea what the fates were planning but he would do his best to make sure that there would be no war amongst the gods. And if it came to it; he would sentence his son to imprisonment no matter how much it hurt.


	12. Gringotts part One

**AUGUST 11, 1994**

**3:15 PM**

"You know, if you're still feeling tired Hadrian we can come back later," Thomas said quietly as they walked through Diagon Alley. He wasn't in his disguise and instead went as himself. The disguise he had used when he went to the Dursley's made him look like Jason Momoa though his daughter felt the need to point out that he was much more handsome than Jason. Her brothers thought she was being a suck up. Not that she needed to be because she had Thomas wrapped around her finger since the moment she was born. "When it's less crowded." Thomas added as he noticed so many eyes looking in there direction. Only he, the Harry of 94, the older Harry- who was under his cloak again- and Artorius headed to the alley and some of the others stayed behind.

"No," Harry 94 said firmly. "I feel fine and we all agreed that this needed to happen. And stop calling me Hadrian."

"It's your name," Thomas pointed out. "If things go how we wish them too then you better get used to it because you will be addressed as such. And..." He paused and tried not to glare at people who stopped in front of them to stare at Harry before pressing on. "It's the name your parents gave you and I think it would be good to acknowledge that."

Harry said nothing but he considered Thomas' words as the reached the steps of Gringotts.

"Move faster," Thomas hissed suddenly at Harry with glazed eyes. "The aurors that I saw earlier are closing in. They want to take you to the Ministry. Dawlish and Warrington are leading the charge. Damn the old man works fast." He muttered to himself as he thought about Dumbledore. He knew that he would call in a few favors to have people search for Harry but he didn't think it would be this quick. They weren't getting Harry though because they would probably send him to the Burrow and as much as Harry liked most of the Weasley's; he doubted that he could be civil to Ron and Molly right now. Not after he remembered everything that they did or rather, could do.

"Once we touched the steps we entered sovereign land," Harry 94 reminded him. "they couldn't touch us."

"That wouldn't stop them from summoning us back down the stairs," Thomas countered. "And besides the Goblins do not meddle in the affairs of wizards unless it involves them or if they have something to gain. Us getting summoned by aurors on the front steps do not count for either."

"Once we get inside we will be fine," Artorius murmured as he bowed to two goblins who were at the front door. The goblins looked startled before composing themselves. They wondered if this human was mocking them but didn't get to think more about it because Harry and Thomas bowed as well.

"Honored guards," All three intoned. Some people walking by stopped to look at what they were seeing. Harry Potter and two strangers...bowing to goblins? They blinked and rubbed their eyes at what they considered to be a strange sight.

"Well met honored...customers." The goblins replied with bewildered tones. The three men nodded though both Harry's hid their reluctance and bitterness when speaking with the goblins. He may have explained what happened to king Ragnok in the last timeline but he did not trust the goblins; at all. The others understood his apprehension to an extent but not completely. Artorius in particular had no problem with goblins though that may to do with the fact that he got along with the goblins in the US. A few of whom were fellow students who attended Salem with him and the others. They taught him some goblin customs and a few phrases in their language.

Thomas had no experience what so ever with goblins. Apart from fantasy books and films; he knew very little about them. He considered Harry's experience along with Artorius' but wouldn't use those to form an opinion of his own. Knowing the basics of them; Thomas knew that they had one major thing in common and that was the prejudice wizards had against them. The difference was Thomas could hide his nature and the goblins couldn't. Another difference was, while Thomas wouldn't be considered human, wizarding Britain had no laws against shape shifters of any kind. This was mainly due to the existence of Metamorphmagi because they were human's who could change shape and could not be classified as anything but human. Still didn't mean that everyone here would treat him fairly should his secret get out.

As they entered the bank; the four of them caught sight of the Malfoy family. Narcissa and Draco from the future had come to the safe house at eleven in the evening when Lucius Malfoy had gotten an 'urgent' call from some of his 'friends' that he needed to attend to. They said their past counterparts were drained from the experience of getting their memories from the future but promised to be at Gringott's the following day or they would contact them to let them know what day would be good to do what was about to be done.

"Lord Malfoy," Artorius said neutrally, gaining the man's attention. "Lady Malfoy; young Draconis." He nodded respectfully to the two who acted weary but nodded back. Harry and Thomas did the same much to the confusion of those watching. Their children had mentioned in passing that Potter and Malfoy detested each other yet they were looking at each other with neutral expressions. Sure they were in public and it would be in bad manners to start a altercation but they knew that the scion of the Malfoy family had no problem with doing so. They had witnessed it themselves but could not really do anything as it was nothing more than minor arguments between children and Lucius practically owned the Minister for magic thanks to all the money he 'donated' to the ministry.

"I am afraid that you have us at a disadvantage," Lucius Malfoy said coolly. "You seem know who we are but we do not know who you are."

"Forgive my lack of manners," Artorius said silkily though on the inside he was having difficulty actually talking to this man in front of him. "My name is Artorius Black and this is my cousin, Thomas Black," He gestured to Thomas. Despite using their normal appearance, they agreed to only use their first names and not their surnames just in case people decided to do some digging. "You of course, know our cousin, Hadrian." He gestured to Harry. Lucius and his family frowned slightly though only the Malfoy patriarch's frown was genuine.

"Mr. Potter," Lucius nodded curtly.

"Lord Malfoy," Harry said sounding just as curt. "You seem to be in better spirits than when I last saw you. I imagine you were hurt quite badly."

"Your concern is unnecessary Mr. Potter," Lucius said smoothly as the others not involved with the conversation wondered what Harry was talking about. Lucius for his part was rather annoyed for being reminded of what happened with that blasted elf. He ordered several elves to punish themselves to get himself out of his funk. If he ever saw Dobby again he would wring the little creatures neck. "It was a minor fall that's all."

"Merely an inquiry," Harry replied with a tight smile though on the inside he was feeling rather sick at playing nice with Lucius. "I mean, it was after you lost your position on the board of governors was it not? I imagine the fall put a damper on things."

"Are you going to the world cup lord Malfoy?" Thomas asked pleasantly as he saw Malfoy narrow his eyes.

"Yes," Lucius said coldly. How dare the little half blooded bastard throw his dismissal from the board in his face so casually? He was lucky that they were in Gringotts or he would have been hexed by now."As a guest of the minister." He added as he glanced at Thomas.

"Then perhaps we'll see you there," Thomas murmured. "We are going as well and we wish to speak with your wife at a later date."

"My wife?" Lucius frowned. "For what possible reason would need to speak to my wife?" He demanded. Narcissa hid her annoyance behind a blank mask and Draco pretended to sneer at Thomas who leaned forward and whispered.

"Another time lord Malfoy," He said. "Away from those who need not know but I will tell you that it is a Black family matter." Thomas said that to peak the blonde lords interest which it did. Thomas glanced over his shoulder as he heard the front door to the bank open. The aurors had come in and were heading in their direction. "Thank you for your time lord Malfoy," Thomas spoke again."But we have business with the goblins today and we are sure that you have business elsewhere."

Lucius inclined his head as Harry, Thomas, Artorius bowed to him. They kissed Narcissa's hand as she as she curtsied. They gave Draco looks before moving towards the tellers. Lucius watched them with a calculating expression before signaling his family to follow.

"Come Narcissa, Draco," He said loudly. Thomas gritted his teeth as did Artorius. Both Harry's were itching to go for their wands but refrained from doing so.

"They're not fucking dogs," Thomas snarled under his breath but only his group heard him. "I have half a mind to gut the bastard right now," He paused and leaned closer to Harry. "Go to the nearest teller and wait; Nemeaus and will run interference with the aurors." Harry nodded and sped off as Artorius and Thomas spun around to talk to the aurors. "Gentlemen, how may we help you?" Thomas asked as he idly held his wolf head cane. This one was just a normal cane with some charms on it. He couldn't bring the one with the hidden blade because he would have been detained by the goblins and would have to potentially fight his way out of the bank. The older Harry stood in one spot where he could watch both his younger self and the other two in their group.

John Dawlish and Clifford Warrington looked startled before adopting a business like air to their stances. Thomas surveyed the two aurors. Dawlish was tall and he had a slight limp. Warrington was tall as well but he looked younger than Dawlish. He couldn't have been older than twenty five at the most. They weren't wearing red robes like they normally would but instead wore long brown coats over dark green suits with green ties. Harry said that red robes were more of a formality and that aurors could wear more personalized clothing if they wanted to though they had to at least have a year of working for the ministry under their belt before doing so. Harry said that he wore a blue suit with an aristocratic jacket that had silver designs sewn in to honor his mentor, Kingsley Shacklebolt who taught him and a few others personally while he was the minister for magic in the old timeline.

"We wish to speak with Potter," Warrington said with a slight sneer on his face. His brother told him that Potter was nothing more than an arrogant half blood who hid behind Dumbledore's robes so he didn't think he would be much of a challenge. "And you are in our way." He sneered at Thomas who merely raised an eyebrow.

"You know cousin, I knew the magical law enforcement on this side of the Atlantic has had trouble finding recruits for sometime now," Thomas began loudly to Artorius as Warrington narrowed his eyes and Dawlish sighed at the stupidity his trainee was showing. The others in the bank watched the upcoming confrontation with their complete attention. The goblins seemed bemused though they were waiting to see if these humans would fight. "But I didn't realize that they hired wizards from upstart lines with no sense of decorum like Warrington here."

"And they say that we are uneducated," Artorius added as he saw Warrington open his mouth and go red in the face. "They say that we are uncultured. They say that we are barbarians yet our country is in the top three spots for education in the world while Britain doesn't even place in the top ten." He hid a smile when he saw the indignant looks that the wizards and witches had on their faces. "Don't believe me? Send an inquiry to the EMU; the European Magical Union in case you didn't know. They are a branch of the I.C.W. and are oath bound to tell the truth. Ask them about where Hogwarts places in the world and it won't be anywhere worth boasting about."

Magical Britain had not been one of the top fifteen schools in the world since the second world war. They at least had the fifth overall spot but lost it due to the lack of updates in the school curriculum which meant that they were becoming stagnant as the rest of the world learned from their mistakes and updated their teaching methods and schools. The results of the last fifty years in regard to a subject like potions and the position of potion master or mistress; Britain has only produced three under the tutelage of Horace Slughorn. One was killed in the war with the dark lord, another worked for the dark lord and became a teacher and the last one left the country because she wanted to learn more.

Other countries have produced a minimum of ten potion masters and mistresses. The majority ever produced was forty in Argentina.

"Just who-" Warrington started to say.

"Do we think we are?" Thomas interrupted. "We are descendants of Phineas Nigellus Black as is Harry Potter so drop the sneer you stupid worm. We may be Americans and we may not come here as often as we would like but our blood can be traced back many generations while yours hasn't even hit it's fifth." He twirled his cane before he held it under Warrington's chin. Artorius shook his head at Dawlish when the auror made the move to protest.

"You dare-"

_'Does anyone ever say anything other than that in this community?'_ Thomas wondered in his mind before speaking aloud, "If you keep reaching for your wand to cast a spell, I guarantee that your body will remain where it is but your head will be elsewhere. In case you have forgotten boy you are in sovereign territory and you are forbidden from using your wand. Had you drawn your wand the goblins of this fine establishment would have been well with in their rights to kill you and put your head on a pike. They also could claim that the _minor_ house of Warrington had broken the treaty that was signed between the two races and declare war. A war which none of you could afford because they hold all of your wealth."

Thomas paused to let that sink in.

"I am saving your life though frankly I should let the goblins deal with you," He continued. "but I will not allow these people to suffer for your arrogance and stupidity. I have no doubt that your family profited from the last war but there is no way in hell that I am letting something like that happen here today. So yes auror Warrington, I dare."

The crowd watching didn't know how to feel right now. On one hand; they were insulted by the earlier comments made about their great school. 'Honestly, these were two Americans, what did they know?' Had been one of the few questions that ran through their minds. On the other hand; they felt a little relieved that there wouldn't be a fight here today though those who thought highly of themelves were sure that they could deal with the goblins. Those that actually had brains in their skulls knew that there was a big chance that they would lose the fight just like with before.

The goblins for their part were deeply amused and for the first time in Gringotts history; stopped working and watched what was going on. One of the tellers had sent a message off to Ragnok to watch what was going on in the lobby. He was currently in his office chuckling up a storm at the scene before him that was playing in an enchanted mirror he had. He was impressed with these two humans and the way they basically insulted wizarding education here in Britain and managed to defang the snake that was Clifford Warrington II; a rather arrogant boy who wasn't even all that powerful to be honest. He wondered what they were doing here with the Potter heir and made a note to keep an eye out for him and his friends.

Thomas lowered his cane when he saw Warrington stopped reaching for his wand and hold his hand to the side though he did not relax his posture as Artorius began to speak.

"Now auror Dawlish," Artorius looked at the older man. "As you seem to be the more level headed of you two I will ask you this; what is your interest in my cousin Hadrian?"

"Pardon?" Dawlish frowned. "I know no one by that name."

"You know him as Harry," Artorius explained patiently. "However he was born Hadrian Jamieson Potter; the third of his name in the line of Micah for house Potter. First of his name in the line of Hercules for the house of Black. Now I ask again; what is your interest in my cousin?"

"He is needed at the Ministry," Dawlish replied but didn't elaborate any further.

"Is he under arrest?" Thomas inquired though he didn't take his eyes off of Warrington.

"Of course not," Dawlish replied with a frown. The idea of arresting the boy-who-lived was a preposterous idea to say the least.

"Is this an order from the _head_ of the _DMLE_?" Artorius asked him, stressing the department name and title because though Fudge was the Minister, Amelia Bones was his boss and he answered to her first.

"Well no," DawLish grimaced. He had realized that this could be bad when his boss found out. He was going to look for the boy off duty but he saw him and didn't think twice about trying to reach him.

"And even if the minister made a request to see our cousin," Thomas added. "Hadrian would not be in anyway obligated to attend unless it was of the up most importance. I am afraid that you have wasted your time with this task of finding him."

"We are not leaving," Warrington snarled. "Without the _boy_."

"Then we are at an impasse," Thomas said coldly as he jabbed his cane into Warrington's chest eliciting a hiss of pain from the auror. "because you will have to get passed me to get to my cousin. But since you are virtually powerless here any attempt you make would be futile."

"I am an auror!" Warrington roared. "How dare you treat me like this you foreign bastard?! I am of noble birth!"

**SMACK!**

Thomas hit Warrington in the shoulder with his cane.

"Keep your voice down you spawn of inbred swine," Thomas hissed. "You are disturbing the peace within these walls."

"You've struck me!" Warrington gasped in surprise, clutching his shoulder.

"Gods above and below, have you only noticed that _now_?" Thomas said dryly while using a phrase that he picked up from Esmeralda who used it as an exclamation or a curse. "Not very quick on the uptake are you?"

Warrington drew his wand but Thomas hit him again; this time in the hand. Warrington dropped his wand and clutched at his hand before lunging at Thomas with a yell. Thomas side stepped and caught Warrington by the shoulder bent him over and hit him on the ass with his cane. He looked like someone spanking their child for doing something naughty.

The goblins started to snicker as Warrington yelped from each blow he received. Dawlish looked like he wanted to be anywhere but Gringotts right now. He was questioning whether doing this favor for Dumbledore was worth it.

"Hopefully that will teach you that your actions have consequences," Thomas commented as he dragged Warrington to the front door; 'accidentally' stepping on the wizards wand. "Oops." Thomas said sarcastically as he shoved Warrington towards Dawlish who caught the young trainee. "If I were you auror Dawlish, I'd leave before he," Thomas pointed to Warrington who was cupping his ass to try and quell the stinging pain. "does something even more stupid."

"We'll be leaving," Dawlish said. "Though I need to see your papers; to make sure you are here legally."

"But of course," Artorius replied as he reached into his jacket. Thomas did the same and they both handed Dawlish their documents that Esmeralda had 'procured' for them. Dawlish looked them over carefully so when he talked to his boss later on she could at least see the wording in her pensive.

"They seem to be in order," Dawlish murmured as he handed them their papers back. "Thank you for your time and I apologize for my colleague."

"Do not apologize for him," Thomas said sharply. "never apologize for the actions of others. All that will do is enable them to continue unchallenged."

Dawlish simply nodded and dragged the groaning Warrington away who spat out, "This isn't over you foreign prick! You will face the wrath of house Warrington!"

"Oh dearie, dearie, dear," Thomas said softly in a mock accent that carried through out the lobby. "How will we ever handle the wrath of a house that sells their women and children as slaves if they think it would be the best idea? A house that has siblings marry one another to produce insolent whelps? Dearest cousin, I do believe we have met our match!" He exclaimed to Artorius in mock horror before they started to laugh.

"How dare you mock m-" Dawlish clamped one hand over Warrington's mouth to stop him from speaking.

"It's difficult not to mock you," Thomas commented to Warrington's retreating figure. "it is quite easy in fact. As for your threats of facing the wrath of your house," A smile filled with malicious intent appeared on the young Alphas face. Warrington didn't see it but the smile was audible. "I eagerly await your supposed retribution for your imagined slights."

Dawlish shoved Warrington through the door before anything else could be said. Thomas and Artorius chuckled before they started to apologize for disrupting the proceedings in the bank. They were waved off as they headed towards Harry who was at the next available teller.

"How may Gringotts help you today?" Normally this question would be asked with barest amount of acknowledgement but the goblin sat up straighter and looked at the three of them intently.

"Would it be possible to speak with the account manager for the Potter family?" Harry asked politely. "I have a few inquiries to make however if the honored goblin is busy I will come back another time."

"Do you have your key Mr. Potter?"

"I-" Harry adopted a frown. "My apologies, I've forgotten to ask for your name."

The goblin eyed him suspiciously, "Most people don't ask goblins for their names."

The other wizards and goblins waited to hear Harry's answer.

"I'm not most people." He shrugged. "I'm just...me."

The goblin raised his thin eyebrows at the answer. It wasn't something he expected. Those who were watching didn't expect that answer either.

"My name is...Bloodclaw," The goblin replied hesitantly.

"Pleasure to meet you teller Bloodclaw," Harry said softly. While he didn't trust goblins he would be polite for the time being. "My name is Hadrian though I prefer Harry."

Bloodclaw nodded, "And your key Mr. Potter?" He asked Harry again.

"That is one of the things I wish to inquire about." Harry replied. Bloodclaw eyed him for a few moments before nodding slowly.

"I will see if the account manager is busy." Bloodclaw hopped off of his chair and headed towards a door that lead to a hallway. Harry and co. waited patiently for a few minutes before Bloodclaw came back. "Account manager Ironfang will see you know." He declared to Harry before turning to Artorius and Thomas. "Your cousins as well."

The three of them nodded their thanks and they followed Bloodclaw with the other Harry trailing behind.

* * *

A woman in a gold dress and wearing a gold crown frowned at the three men before her, "This is not right," She said. "and highly illogical."

"Athena," Zeus began. "It is the will of the fates. I do not know what their ultimate goal is but we cannot go against them."

"But father-"

"No Athena," Zeus said firmly, "We cannot challenge them but I do need your help with ideas to prevent any fighting that may occur."

Athena pursed her lips thoughtfully. She was thinking of many different scenarios of containing the other gods should things get out of hand or preemptive measures to make sure they didn't.

"The biggest problems would come from Ares, Thanatos, and Hecate," She murmured. "While Hecate doesn't normally fight; she will if Ares directly or indirectly interferes with the magic users. She didn't last time because Ares just watched the war and Hecate has never been one to interfere with another's domain. I'm sure that Ares will do something once he realizes that there will be no war like he anticipated but I am not sure as to when or what he will do. Thanatos would help either of them or both at the same time if I meant that he received the soul count that he was supposed to," She looked at Hades. "He has been raging hasn't he uncle?"

Hades merely inclined his head in reply.

"Morpheus is friends with Hecate," Athena continued. "He will aid her if she asks. Nemesis gets along with Ares and all the other minor war spirits and gods will take up arms if only to satisfy their thirst for battle."

She paused.

"We will need to bring more people into the fold," She declared. "The more people we trust with this knowledge will strengthen our chances of preventing war or containing it."

Poseidon, Zeus, and Hades nodded their heads in understanding and began to come up with ideas as to who should be included in this discussion.

Meanwhile a man with tan skin and glowing red eyes paced in his temple. He wore a coat made from a boars fur and black amour. His name was Ares and he was rather put out. He had planned to have a war break out again in Magical Britain and potentially the world._ It would have been brilliant,_ he thought. _The magicals would fight first then, when it reached the point where it would spill over to the non magical world, I would get the humans and their toys to come out and play. It would have been my greatest achievement in my immortal life. The war to end all wars. But now things have changed; I can feel it._ He growled audibly as his thoughts about certain people made him more angry.

It started a day ago when he felt a shift in...something. He watched over Britain when he saw a group of people just appeared out of nowhere then scatter to different directions. It was strange at the time; Ares could have sworn that those people looked familiar. He watched them and when he saw them greet their younger selves to give them information on what was to come he nearly blew his top. They were time travelers! He had roared that day. In his mind, they were cheating and denying him his glory.

He watched them intently over the day and planned to deal with them though he had to do this quickly and carefully. He came with a few plans to counter their plans and if they failed then he would go himself; laws be damned. He smiled when he looked over to a black blade with red engravings. It was one item that he would definitely use to ensure his war.

He would not be denied the chance to bring about the war to end all wars. Oh no; he would not be denied, for he was Ares, god of War, son of king Zeus and Queen Hera, grandson to lord Kronos and Lady Rhea. Time travelers or no, he would have his day.


	13. Gringotts part Two

The group of four entered through a door that Bloodclaw lead them to. They were in a hallway that had a solid gold door at the end of it. They walked to it and the goblin knocked.

"Enter," They heard through the door.

"Your client and his family," Bloodclaw announced when they entered. There was another more older looking and taller goblin sitting in his chair. He too had watched what was happening in the bank as it pertained to his client and agreed to see him. This was technically the first meeting they have ever have in this timeline but Harry had met him before in the old timeline.

"Thank you Bloodclaw," Ironfang nodded to his fellow goblin. "I will take it from here." He said crisply. Bloodclaw nodded his head and bowed. He nodded to the others as he passed by. They nodded back. He paused at the door.

"How did you know the aurors names?" Bloodclaw asked Thomas and Artorius. "They never introduced themselves." This was something that had bothered the goblin so he decided to ask the question.

"We like to be prepared," Thomas replied. "Keeps from being on the receiving end of a nasty surprise." Artorius nodded his agreement while Bloodclaw nodded thoughtfully.

As he left, Ironfang turned to Harry, "How may I be of assistance Mr. Potter?"

"Please, call me Harry," The raven haired wizard replied. "And I was wondering if it would be possible to retrieve my key or to make a new one?"

"You should always have your key with you." Ironfang frowned. "Where is it now?"

"I left it with friends because I didn't want my muggle relatives to find it." Harry said. "They're not...good people. If they found out about my vault..." He trailed off and shook his head. "It doesn't matter; I won't be seeing them again which leads into my other question but would it be easier to make a new key or should I get the other one back?"

"Gringotts can summon it here," Ironfang told him. "For a small fee of course." He added.

"Of course," Harry nodded. "Take whatever is necessary from my vault."

"Your next question?" Ironfang prompted.

"Would it be possible to see if I could stay in a property that my family owned," Harry said. "That is; if they had any. I only know about the house in Godric's Hollow."

Ironfang held back a frown, "The Potter family has many properties across the world," He told Harry. "However you are not allowed to go to any of them without the permission of your magical guardian."

"Magical guardian?" Harry inquired.

"Someone who is legally responsible for an individual and their well being in the magical world," Ironfang replied with a frown. How much did this boy not know? "Judging from your tone you have not been informed. Tell me, do you live in the muggle world?"

"I did." Harry nodded. "With my muggle relatives. Why do you ask? Who is my magical guardian," Harry asked, pretending not to know the answer.

"Albus Dumbledore." Ironfang said with a nod of understanding. He had inherited the Potter accounts after his father, Snarlfang, had passed away at the age of 146 and he wasn't told any specifics of the Potter family will which was sealed by the Wizengamot at the behest of the new Chief Warlock; Albus Dumbledore. Ironfang was suspicious of this move but he couldn't prove that the old wizard had any ulterior motives though he watched him like a hawk. So far nothing bad happened. "He is the magical guardian of those who are of none magical birth or are raised in the muggle world much like yourself. He gained this power when he accepted the role of Headmaster of Hogwarts; just like his predecessors. If you write to him..." He trailed off when Harry slowly shook his head.

"He's been busy this summer," Harry said. "Probably to do with the Triwizard tournament," At the goblins raised eyebrows he added, "People talk and sometimes it's better to just listen though I have no idea as to why they decided to bring the tournament back."

"You do not think it is a good idea?" Ironfang asked with interest.

"No," Harry shook his head. "I've done some research and frankly the person who thought to bring it back is an idiot and the ones who went with it aren't any better. There was a reason that it was discontinued but they seem to be ignoring that fact."

"Indeed." Ironfang rumbled. There was a short pause before he spoke again, "Is there anything else that you wanted to discuss?"

"Two things," Harry began. "One; I wish to know if it would be possible for me to be emancipated in the magical world and potentially the muggle one. Two; I've been advised by my cousins to seek the services of your healers for this," He pointed to his scar. "They said that your healers may be more qualified to deal with it than anyone else."

"The papers for your magical emancipation can be processed here and copies will be sent to the ministry," Ironfang stated. "Technically you could have been recognized as your head of house when you turned eleven as you are the last of the Potter line but you never made any formal inquiry."

"I was not informed that I could do that." Harry murmured. "Would have been so much better." He muttered to himself though he was heard by everyone else in the room. He already knew all of this but still couldn't help but think about what could have been. "Was that the only time I could have taken up the mantle as the head of my own house without having to file any papers?"

"No," Ironfang nodded. "You could have tried again when you were thirteen but no one raised this issue with us or the Ministry so that opportunity was missed."

"Is that the only way that one can become the head of the family in my case?"

"The treaty that was signed between our races states that for something like this, a representative from Wizard kind and another from Goblin kind must be notified of ones intent to become head of their house," Ironfang began. "If you tell one group they are obligated to inform the other so everyone is on the same page. Trust me; it was rather nasty when we were not. Another rebellion almost occurred before this clause was added to the treaty. There were blood feuds left and right - between the same house in some cases.

"Now, in your case Mr. Potter, you would have been granted the title immediately after you asked because as I said, you are the last of your house. Sometimes we are required to come forward especially when one reaches their majority or if they were required to be at a will reading though if they were to send someone in their place that wouldn't have counted against them but for anything else we cannot actively do so because the person in question may or may not want it until they are ready. Or their magical guardian had not deemed them ready and they would wait until they were seventeen. There would have been no resistance when you turned eleven but now there will be a review by the committees who handle emancipations for the Ministry and Gringotts."

"Because I didn't come forward before?" Harry asked and he received a nod. He sighed, "I'll do whatever is required of me to make sure that it goes through."

Ironfang raised his eyebrows slightly at the wording that was used. Normally wizards demanded things to be done but the young man in front of him wasn't doing such a thing. This would bear watching.

"As for the second part of your questioning," He said before narrowing his eyes. "I will answer it when you or one of your cousins explain to me how there are three of you before me yet the wards in my office tell me that there is another person here?"

There was a long beat of silence that was eventually broken by Thomas, "Come out Harry."

Ironfang jumped when a second more older looking Harry Potter appeared from under an invisibility cloak. He growled out, "What is the meaning of this?! Who is this, and what is he doing here?!"

*My name is Hadrian Jamieson Potter-Black, master goblin,* The older Harry said in the goblins native tongue. *And if you allow us to explain, things may become more clear.*

The goblin still had his eyes narrowed, "And why should I?" He hissed. "What's to stop me from summoning reinforcements and having you all locked up for questioning?!"

"Because it was my family that helped broker a peace of sorts between our two races," The older Harry explained. "A peace that has lasted for quite sometime; so long in fact that the previous king has called house Potter a friend of the Goblin nation. That means that any goblin who betrays or harms someone with Potter blood will have their entire clan wiped out first before they themselves are killed. Go ahead Ironfang, call your backup and see what happens."

Something like that was a little known fact outside of the two party's in question. Goblins normally detested anything or anyone that was not goblin; wizards especially. Mainly because wizards had always treated them like filth though it was uncalled for. They were nothing if not honorable however and kept their word when it came to something like this. The hook clan in the last timeline was killed because of Griphook's betrayal when Harry proved his innocence and paid a hefty fine.

"Let's not forget that there were many people who saw me in the lobby," The younger Harry added. "and even more people saw me out in the alley. I wonder what would happen if the Ministry caught wind that I didn't step out of the bank for a very long time. While I detest my fame I have no doubt that the outcry of the boy-who-lived being detained by what the Ministry calls lowly creatures that the Minister would abandoned the treaty and take up arms against the Goblin nation. Whether they have a fighting chance or not is not the point."

"The reputation of this branch took a hit roughly three years ago when someone broke in and you didn't catch them," Artorius pointed out. "What do you think is going to happen when they find out that you practically held a friend of the goblin nation along with his family against their will when they have done nothing wrong?"

"In conclusion master goblin," Thomas put in his two cents. "Your choices are limited but you do have a choice none the less. Choose wisely; lest you reap something that you wish you hadn't sowed."

The four non-goblins stared at Ironfang, waiting patiently to hear his response. They didn't have to wait long.

"Fine," The goblin growled. "But I need to speak to my king. This situation is most irregular."

"Bring him along with a pensive," Thomas murmured. "We have a lot to discuss. Oh don't worry," He added with a smile. "No harm will come to your king. After all, what could we possibly do to a great goblin warrior?" He asked with slightly narrowed eyes.

Ironfang observed Thomas with a critical eye. He noticed that even in the lobby that his posture was always tense even when he was relaxed. A posture that told the goblin that Thomas was always prepared to fight; even when he was at rest. Ironfang was confident in his abilities as a fighter but not too confident; especially against someone he was sure was not entirely human.

Finally the goblin says, "Very well." He scurried off to a fire place to send a message directly to his king and the others wait for a very long meeting.

* * *

Amelia Susan Bones, Head of the Most Ancient and Noble house of Bones, Head of the DMLE, was in a rather foul mood at the moment. She was only mildly irritated before when there were reports of fights breaking out between some of the visitors from other countries and some of the citizens in Britain. _Honestly, did any of them not realize that we are supposed to make sure that everything is secure for the world cup?_ She thought at the time. _We didn't need to have to send aurors out to handle petty squabbles between people who thought it prudent to antagonize those who were not from the British Isles._

Her irritation increased when her boss informed her that the Unspeakables had picked up a massive amount of magical energy where the cup was to be held yesterday. Normally that wouldn't have been a problem in a restricted magical area but no one who was supposed to be working was behind it. So Cornelius Fudge, in all his infinite wisdom, declared that Amelia would be the one to handle the investigation despite the fact that it was not her department and she already had her hands tied by over seeing security for the world cup. That still didn't stop Fudge from adding that to her plate with the comment of, "My dear Amelia, why stress over something like that? This is the World cup; not a war council! The energy spike is more important right now; not the security. After all, this is peace time and I doubt anything terrible will happen."

Amelia had to count backwards from thirty to stop herself from cursing the Minister as he rambled on. When he left she contemplated on taking a shot of the firewhiskey that she had stashed in one of her desk drawers. When Dawlish and his trainee showed up and told them what happened earlier at Gringotts she promised herself that she would have two shots.

"What in the name of Merlin, Morgana, and Mordred were you thinking?!" She hissed at the trainee in front of her. "Well?!" She snapped when he didn't immediately answer. Warrington began to swell in indignation. How dare this bitch speak to him like that?! Before he could open his mouth, Dawlish spoke up.

"He wasn't thinking at all ma'am." He said and Warrington glared at him. "And I am ashamed to say that I failed to stop it from getting out of hand."

"Kiss her arse some more why don't you?" Warrington muttered under his breath but Dawlish smacked him upside the head. "Ow! What the-" Dawlish hit him with a silencing spell and a body bind then turned back to Amelia.

"You better take a look at this boss," He pulled out a vial with his memory before he put his wand away. He wasn't as fast as he used to be but he still had some juice left in him. He placed the memory on the table. "It would be better if you did."

Amelia pulled out her portable pensive from her drawer and grabbed the memory before placing it in the pensive. She tapped the side of it with her wand and the memory was projected right above it which made her eyes level with both it and the two people in front of her. Her mood increased as she watched the events unfold. She was impressed with the two men that failed to introduce themselves while knowing exactly who Dawlish and the young trainee were. She made a mental note to investigate their claims about Hogwarts education and ranking. If it was true she would talk to her niece about potentially hiring tutors. She hid a frown at the thought her niece or rather her behavior. Her niece had a rather bubbly personality much like her mother Martha but earlier she was rather subdued. When she questioned Susan about all she got was a shake of Susan's head and a smile. Amelia didn't press for more answers but she would continue to watch her niece.

She tuned back in to the memory and almost hexed Warrington when she saw him go for his wand in the memory. She was greatful that the young man in the memory stopped him from causing another rebellion. She watched as Dawlish explain that the young Potter heir was needed at the Ministry. She raised an eyebrow at that._ I don't remember wanting Mr. Potter here, nor do I remember anyone else needing him._ She thought but kept quiet. She watched as the two young men in the memory effortlessly dismantle the request entirely. She wanted meet these two in person.

She glared at Warrington when he started spouting that Noble birth nonsense and when he misidentified himself as an auror. She hid a smile when Warrington was struck with the young man's cane. She internally groaned when Warrington unnecessarily pointed out that he had been hit. She couldn't help but be more impressed when Warrington was disarmed quickly and it took all her years as an auror to stop herself from laughing when Warrington was spanked like a naughty child.

Amelia pulled out a piece of parchment and copied down the names Thomas Jason Black and Artorius Claudius Black. She would see if their papers were real as there was supposed to be copies of them in the department of Customs and Border protection. They did not seem suspect but she wouldn't risk the safety of those in Britain because she did not think they weren't suspicious.

She really wanted to strangle the little shit that was sitting across her desk when he kept spouting off nonsense. A small smirk was on her lips when she heard the rebuttal from the one known as Thomas. As the memory ended she let the silence that permeated the room as she watched the event unfold in front of her linger for a moment or so before she spoke.

"Let's begin with you and what you did correctly." She said to Warrington. She paused for dramatic effect. "Absolute shit," She said bluntly. "That is what you did correctly Mr. Warrington."

"You have a lot of gall but no brains," She continued as Warrington's eyes flashed with what he thought was righteous indignation. "You violated protocol several times, you misidentified yourself as an Auror when you are a trainee! You damn near started a bloody rebellion because your head is so far up your own arse that I don't need to chew it out right now - you do it for me every time you open your mouth! You threatened two people who were not armed and are potentially members of an Ancient and Noble house! Regardless of the fact that they are foreigners, the wrath of a family of that status is worse than whatever you think you can dish out!"

Amelia took a calming breath before she spoke again.

"You know that a trainee can only have three marks on their record before they are tossed out of the program," She began and she noticed that Warrington's eyes were no longer angry. They looked delighted in fact. "You have no marks on your record - until now." Amelia hid another grin as the fire returned to Warrington's eyes.

She held up a finger.

"Your first mark was when you failed to properly identify yourself. In a tense situation such as that; honesty is the best policy. Dishonesty get's people hurt or killed. Two," She held up another finger. "You nearly started a war that we cannot afford and do not need after having to deal with two previous ones. One of which lasted for eleven years and destroyed the morale of everyone here until He-who-must-not-be-named was defeated. By the same person you attempted to grab in fact. Three," She held up another finger. "You threatened a civilian like some thug hired out of Knockturn Alley. This is the Department on Magical Law Enforcement; not some playground where you can throw your weight around and make demands of people because of your supposed nobility. As long as I am head of it I will not allow such behavior become common place amongst the Auror force. Congratulations, you have just received three marks in a single outing; a new record for the books.

"Your time here has come to an end and I will make sure that you are never allowed an opportunity like this again."

She ordered Dawlish to remove the body bind but not the silencing spell. What happened next went exactly how Amelia wanted it to. Warrington went for his second wand and cast a silent cutting curse at Amelia who batted it out of the way with her wand and hit Warrington with a stunning spell that sent him flying across the room and into a wall.

"Add attacking the head of the department and a well known pureblood house that helped shape this society," She murmured. She pressed her intercom on her desk, "Melody, send in security to take Mr. Warrington to the ministry cells please." After receiving an affirmative from her secretary, she turned to Dawlish. "Now explain to me why it was so important for Mr. Potter to come here?"

Dawlish sighed and began his tale.

* * *

King Ragnok of the goblin nation sat down in shock. His day had started out like any other day until the arrival of the young Potter heir. He didn't agree with the Chief Warlocks decision to seal the wills of the Potter lord and his lady but protocol dictated that while the goblins were to make sure the wills were followed to the letter, the Ministry had to ask them to do so but if the wills were sealed then nothing could be done.

Admittedly, Ragnok felt that it was stupid because at the end of the day it was the goblins who had to do the work but he conceded that since it was wills belonging to wizards it would ultimately be their decision to let them be seen or not. He would still think it was stupid but would uphold the agreement that was made - until such a time that it was no longer required.

He very rarely laughed while he worked but he couldn't help but chuckle at the spectacle that happened in the lobby. He was intrigued when he got a message from Ironfang and headed to his fellow goblin's office. He was shocked by there being two Harry Potter's there and his hand moved towards a dagger he kept on him. It was only Ironfang's words that stayed his hand and he agreed to view the memories that were being offered to them.

Goblin pensives were different from the normal ones in the way that any memory that was altered would be rejected and the pensive would not work until the false memory was removed. The way to know that it wouldn't work was if it glowed red. When the memories were deposited the pensive was still operational and both goblins entered it while several guards watched the four non-goblins.

Watching the Potter heirs life including things that hadn't happened yet caused both goblins to stiffen in shock. Their shock lasted throughout the viewing and they still sat frozen in their seats after it was over.

"All of you clear out," Ragnok barked at the guards after he snapped out of his shock. His words eased the tension that was building and snapped Ironfang out of his stupor. "We have business to discuss."

"My lord?" One of the guards frowned in confusion. The other guards shifted slightly.

"Just go," Ragnok waved a hand. "What we need to talk about will discussed between us and no one else. Now leave." He glared at all of them until they slowly left the room. When the last guard left he turned to the four humans. "On behalf of my people I apologize for the injustice that we have done. I know that it has yet to happen and I will make sure that it won't but the fact that it happened at all leaves me rather upset. Therefore I offer my services and the services of my people to help you rid the world of Tom Riddle. I will not go back on the agreement that my father made with your ancestor. You are a friend of the goblin nation and it will stay that way." He leapt out of his chair and bowed to both Harry's. "I know I have no right to ask this but please consider my offer. We will take you to our healers and have that soul fragment removed and whatever damage you have gained over the years will be fixed regardless on whether you accept though."

All the other occupants in the room looked bewildered that the king of the Goblin nation was bowing to a human and pleading with him. Even Thomas, who saw it coming, stared the leader of the goblin nation in disbelief.

"Why are you bowing to me?" The younger Harry asked. "I'm a wizard in your territory. Shouldn't it be the other way around?"

"When something like what happened to you in the future happens it is the responsibility of the King to make it right and punish those that need to be punished." Ragnok explained as he looked up. "We failed you and we continue to do so because of our restrictions but we will do what we can to make it right."

"If you truly mean that then please stand up; the very idea of someone bowing to me makes me feel uncomfortable," Harry murmured. When Ragnok stood up he added, "I won't lie to you King Ragnok; I do not trust goblins at the moment but you have the means to help and just as much stake in this as I do. I accept your offer but I will make your nation pay if me and my family get hurt. I don't threaten," He told Ironfang who growled at him. Thomas growled at the goblin in warning as Harry spoke again, "but I will not stand back if I am betrayed. I've done that too many times in my life - I will not do so again."

"I understand though I'm sure that I do not need to tell you that the same will happen to you should you betray us," Ragnok replied and he received a nod for his answer. "Now with that unpleasantness out of the way let's take of that scar for you then the cup in the Lestrange vault. This way." He walked to the door and the others followed as he lead them in the direction of their healers.

* * *

"Ok we got the ring," Esmeralda told the group as she entered their base of operations holding a small box. Bertram and Wilfred followed behind her. "It wasn't that difficult to be honest. The wards around the Gaunt shack apart from the parsel ones were easy to bring down." She waved her hand and a trunk appeared in front of her. She opened it and placed the box inside. "I'll get started on tracking Sirius. Harry estimated that in the last timeline he was somewhere in South America so I'll try and get him there."

"Did you guys switch the bones out?" Tristan asked his Uncles and his brother's mate.

"Yep!" Bertram grinned at his nephew. "That was even easier that slipping into the Shack."

"What did you switch them with?" Emmett asked with a glint in his eyes. When there was plans to remove the bones of Tom Riddle Senior, Emmett suggested switching them out. He said that there was a good chance that Voldemort could just use another ritual with someone else's bones if his fathers remains weren't there. He said he read a lot of Fanfiction especially Harry Potter fanfiction and one of his favorites involved Sirius and Remus switching the bones out and replacing them with a squirrels that was transfigured into human bones. Voldemort still came back but as an over grown squirrel human hybrid with a voice that put Alvin and the chipmunks to shame.

Emmett said not to use an animal but the idea of switching things around had merit. He said that with a massive amount smugness that was aimed towards his wife who merely rolled her eyes at him. She thought that he obsessed over things like that too much but conceded that it was a good plan.

"A rubber skeleton," Bertram said cheerfully. Despite not getting the reaction he hoped for he continued none the less. "It was the best that I could think of besides plastic but if I used that the dark wannabe might become a giant lego man." He shuddered. "I love lego's too much to ruin them by letting him become one."

Wilfred rolled his eyes though he could see that his brother in all but blood and name was clearly distressed so he spoke up.

"That end is good for now; how's everything with your young counterparts," He asked the other magic users.

"Fine at the moment," Hermione murmured. "It's a good thing that we were prepared for the knowledge upload otherwise we would be very tired right now. My younger self is playing her role well. It's dealing with the Weasley's and such that will prove to be a challenge."

Daphne put a hand on Hermione's shoulder when her sister wife shivered as she remembered the crazed look in Ron's eyes from the last timeline when he attacked them. She had nightmares from time to time about that night. It had nothing to do with being attacked and everything to do with who attacked them. She had trusted Ron with her life and he tortured her because he felt slighted.

"Don't worry aunt Mione," Minerva walked over to her and hugged the witch as tight as she could without hurting her. "If they hurt you I'll bite them as hard as I can in retribution." She said firmly.

"Count us in!" Her brothers, cousins, and Henry chirped not noticing Emmett and Embry's silent warnings. Their mothers raised their eyebrows at them.

"What are the rules when it comes to humans?" They said. The kids grumbled under their breaths. "Speak up."

"No hitting, biting, maiming or killing no matter how irritating or deserving they are of it," The kids all droned in unison then whined, "But mom..."

"No buts," Their mothers said firmly. Tanya added. "You all know the rule though I'm sure the sentiment is appreciated."

"Of course," Hermione nodded to her then smiled at the kids. "Thank you but I don't want you to get in trouble. Our younger counterparts will handle it. Your uncles and parents will help - especially your fathers."

Tristan, Erik, and Minerva winced in sympathy for those who would potentially incur their father's ire. Though they did reason that if the person or people in question were stupid enough to do that then perhaps they shouldn't be so sympathetic. The other kids were thinking the same thing with their dads.

"Ok right now we need to find Sirius and bring him back here," Esmeralda murmured. "Hopefully we can convince him that Artorius would act as regent until his name is cleared."

"Can Artorius even get it," Kate asked them. "I mean, he's an American and I know that a lot of the wizards here don't like their American counterparts and vice versa."

"Doesn't matter," Neville told her. "Anyone that is named regent by the head of house will remain so until the head of house says other wise. No one - Not even the Minister for Magic or the Queen of England - can change it. It helps that Artorius has Black blood in his veins but they will need proof of birth..."

"I got it covered," Esmeralda told him. She waved a hand and several papers appeared on the coffee table. "I have a friend who worked in customs and she taught me some tricks when she got canned. It will work better when the goblins start helping out. My magic is strong and I can fool a good number of people but the Goblins will make things more legit with hardly any questions asked."

"Do you ever get tired?" Narcissa asked. "Magically I mean."

"It's been awhile since I have," Esmeralda admitted. "It takes a lot for me to get tired that way and the last time I did I was out for almost a month while my core was healing."

"How old are you exactly?" Teddy asked her almost absently. He had been thinking of ways to get his parents together so he could be born but so far was drawing a blank. When he noticed the silence that followed he looked around the room. The females looked at him with raised eyebrows and males looked at him in horror. "What?" He asked frowning.

"Dude!" Tristan, Erik, and Henry howled. Tristan went on for them. "You never ask a woman that. You either get a math equation or a look that suggest that you're about to lose a very important piece of equipment! We're still technically babies and even we know that."

The older males kept quiet but they winced at the thought of losing a specific part of their body. Their mates smirked at them before looking at a paling Teddy.

"Sorry," He murmured. "I wasn't thinking."

"No shit," The Matthew twins and Henry said in unison. Their mothers screeched at them but it was Minerva who tried to be the voice of reason.

"Leave them be aunt Rose, Mama," She told them. "They're boys - saying something vulgar is in their nature and it cannot be helped."

"As if you never swear," Her brothers snapped at her. Minerva sniffed and held her nose up in the air.

"I know not what you speak brother," She said. "A lady has no need for such language."

_Lady my ass,_ Her brothers thought but kept silent as their mother was still glaring at them. Henry said nothing as well.

"Ok I'm gonna go find Harry's dog father," Esmeralda said before turning to Teddy. "The answer to your question is very, very old." She walked towards her work station with Henry wanting to follow but he didn't move. Rosalie pursed her lips and sighed through her nose. She waved Henry off to go join the magic user but she told him that they would discuss his language.

Everyone went milling about until Bertram pulled out his mirror and answered it. It was a frustrated Thomas on the other end.

"What's up?" Bertram asked him. "Trouble at the bank?"

"No that's gone extremely well," Thomas replied quickly. "Harry is about to do the ritual to remove the fragment but I just saw something that is not so good about the world cup attack."

"What is it?" Bertram asked and everyone waited for the answer.

"There will be vampires there," Thomas said solemnly. "the kind that were magic users before they were turned."


	14. Unexpected

The silence on the other end of the mirror was making Thomas anxious but he tried not to let it show as he continued to speak.

"It's really my fault that this happened," He murmured. "Earlier there was an auror trainee who nearly started a war but I stopped him. The problem is he just lost his potential job, got arrested, and his father will be raising hell. He won't get the results he wants but he knows about what the Death Eaters plan to do - and he want's in."

"What does this have to do with the vampires?" Bertram asked him.

"He has a cousin who is a part of a coven - he's the second in command actually." Thomas said as he scanned for possible answers and outcomes. "He owes the family a debt even though he was cast out from the family when he was turned."

The goblin healers looked at him with suspicion, the goblin king and Ironfang looked at him with interest but the younger Harry had a question, "How many will there be?"

"At least forty," Thomas murmured though his eyes were still glazed. They turned blue and he growled a little. "They intend to turn or kill as many humans as possible - mainly the minors."

"Please tell me that they can be killed with spells?" The older Harry asked him. He never encountered any vampires except in his sixth year and when he met his extended family but he didn't know how to fight them and his cousin's were immune to nearly all magic.

"They can," Artorius told him, his face etched with barely contained fury. "Fiendfyre works wonders but cutting curses and exploding hexes work just as well. The problem is they're too damn fast for any human to catch them."

"Which leaves us." Thomas said firmly and received many noises of agreement from his vampire and wolf shifter part of the family. "We can adjust the plan accordingly just as long as those idiots are subdued."

"How exactly do you know this human?" One of the healers asked an Thomas turned to the goblin. The goblin tried hard not to flinch at the fire in the Alpha' eyes but he was still unnerved.

"You wouldn't believe me if I told you." He said, his eyes still blue and glazed over. He then turned to Ragnok, "Please continue my lord; this may take sometime to work out the details." He gestured to the mirror before walking over to a corner to try and speak privately.

Ragnok nodded to him as he left and turned to the healers who looked bewildered. "Carry on with the procedure," He said crisply to the healer who jumped at the king's voice but nodded all the same. "I am invoking the oaths that all of you took; if any information is leaked and if I find out who did it, I will feed you to one of our dragons myself." He growled out and the other goblins straightened up before nodding firmly.

"Yes my lord," The lead healer said before turning to the two Harry's. "While I won't pretend to know what's going on, Messer's Potter, just know that this procedure can be very painful but thanks to these time chambers," The healer gestured to the vault door behind them. "We can cut down the healing time. You see, for every second that passes out here will feel like an hour in there. It is how we make our weapons so quickly and how we treat whomever is injured as well."

The goblin paused to let that information sink in before speaking again, "Are there any questions?"

"How long do you think this will take?" The older Harry asked and the goblin looked thoughtful.

"It will depend entirely on your younger self," The goblin began and both Harry's frowned. "Just by standing here I can see that you have not been well nourished and had you been born without magic you probably would look a lot worse. Because your magic is trying to make up for that it won't be fully committed to healing your body from the trauma the cleansing ritual will have on your mind and your person. The best option would be to drain your magic until about twenty-five percent of it were left before adding it back gradually throughout the process. You will be under a stasis ward by way of a charmed necklace the entire time so you will not feel any pain. Your older counterpart though..." The goblin trailed off.

"What about me?" The counterpart in question frowned.

"I don't know how you will ultimately react by being in the same room as your younger self during this process," The healer explained. "I am not a master of time but I do know that two inanimate objects from two separate time streams coming into contact together do not mix well. We had several cave ins caused by an experiment some time ago involving identical enchanted axes which were one in the same only five minutes apart as far as time was concerned. With you two being nearly twenty years apart and living; who knows what could happen?"

Instinctively, both Harry's and Artorius turned to their cousin. Thomas paused from his conversation with Bertram to answer the question.

"It's best if you two are separated," He said as he glanced towards them. "The distance apart won't matter much but both of you need to be under the ward otherwise it will cause problems."

"In what way?" The older Harry asked. Thomas turned to regard him and only him with glazed eyes.

"If you do not wear the ward stone you will feel fatigue of which you have never felt before when your younger self's magic is drained." He said seriously. "When the cleansing begins, you'll feel pain that will make you want to scream yourself hoarse but all it will do is amplify your scream which will shatter any eardrum within a five mile radius but since we are inside you would probably shake the entire foundation of Gringotts until it crumbles instead. Your magic will try to keep itself at bay but you're a lot stronger than most people realize and when that block you have is removed-"

"What block?" The goblin demanded, cutting him off.

"I have a block on me that stops this," The younger Harry pointed to his scar. "From delving deeper into my mind. I think the headmaster was the one to place it on me but I can't be sure." He had a good idea that it may have been Dumbledore but he wasn't entirely sure about that. In the last time line he went to Saint Mungos after a raid to try and patch up some of the wounds he had and one of the healers told him about the block. They said that it had been on him for some time - maybe hours after that fateful night in 1981. They said that the fragment in his scar was leeching off his core despite the block being there. The block became warped as time went by to the point where if Harry had removed it in the future, he may have started to lose his magic.

The goblin healer growled a little but said nothing. Thomas continued.

"When the block is removed; whatever magic that was leeched off of you will return very quickly," He said. "So quickly in fact that if you aren't under stasis an explosion will occur which will destroy the bank and both alley's. On the upside though, the dark dummy will be rendered unconscious for quite sometime. Luckily Crouch Jr. is a Hufflepuff through and through and will follow the plan that Wormtail tells him about when they meet up even though the one he is loyal to will basically be in a coma." He paused before glancing into the mirror. "My apologies, Hannah, Susan, and anyone else who feels that what I said was wrong but let's face facts; Crouch Jr. is easily one of the most loyal followers the dark lord has and he is also the one with the most conviction. Hard work and loyalty are the surest signs of a Puff and he has them in spades."

He paused as he heard two huffs from the mirror before he continued.

"At least the plan for him to place Harry in the tournament will go ahead as planned and the fun will begin," He smiled a smile that was very unnerving. "It's a good thing we're not the bad guys otherwise the world would be warped beyond recognition."

"But it will change all the same," Harry smiled at him before turning to the goblin healer. "If it will be possible to get another stone, we'll both go under."

The goblin pursed his lips and nodded before speaking quietly to the other healers.

"How long will I be in the chamber," The younger Harry asked Thomas who looked at him with a small smile.

"Well out here it will be at least twenty-five minutes; thirty max," He began. "A minute by itself in there," He pointed to the chamber, "would be about sixty hours or two and a half days if you prefer. You would feel like you were in there for two, maybe three months through out the entire thing." He shrugged.

"How big our the changes going to be," Harry asked.

"You'll look healthier," Thomas told him "You'll be taller as well though not insanely tall. Basically you'll look like you are supposed to."

"My magic is not going to be wonky is it?"

"You'll have to get used to it but I think Esmeralda can help regulate that," Thomas turned to the goblin king. "Or do have any recommendations king Ragnok."

"There are several charmed items that Messer's Potter here can wear until they can get a handle on their magic," He offered. "Unless of course your friend has alternative methods?" He raised an eyebrow.

"It doesn't matter," They heard Esmeralda say. "I trust the methods that the goblins have at their disposal. Besides, I haven't found Sirius yet because the mutt refuses to stay still!"

"Well if you used something other than a scrying crystal," Bertram began but stopped abruptly. "Sorry." He muttered.

"She glared at you didn't she?" Artorius chortled but he started laughing hard when he heard that Henry was glaring at Bertram as well. "Oh that's awesome."

Bertram's angry neigh caused more laughter on both sides of the mirror.

"Sirius?" One of the goblins frowned. "Surely you don't mean Sirius Black?"

"Of course," Thomas, Artorius, and both Harry's said in unison. The older Harry added, "Why wouldn't we?"

"Because of his betrayal," The goblin began but he was interrupted by his leader.

"Evidence has been giving to this nation that is in favor of Mr. Black," Ragnok explained. "As of right now the Black accounts will be unfrozen and whatever assets that were seized will be returned until a full investigation can take place. Also, Bartemius Caspar Crouch the first is now persona non grata at any Gringotts bank in the world and should he step on to Goblin land, he will be detained until he has been proven free of any guilt in the lie that the Ministry of Magic has told us in regards to Sirius Orion Black. That also applies to Millicent Theodora Bagnold."

One major clause in the treaty was that deception of any kind equaled automatic death for the perpetrators - whether they were a wizard or a goblin did not matter. Ragnok could have used this as an excuse to wage war but that wouldn't have helped their case and only hinder it. He would, however, take the appropriate actions in rectifying the situation and his orders would see to that.

In a way, Thomas was glad that Ragnok said what he did and in a way he was not. On one hand, this would stop every Tom, Dick, and Harry (or in this case, Lucius, Cornelius, and Dolores) from getting their hands on Black family assets. The Ministry coffers would take a hit and the personal fortunes of Malfoy, Fudge, Umbridge, and various other families who had no ties or very little ones to the Black family would lose money as well when they were found to be in possession of Black monies and property. Crouch Sr. wasn't going to take that much of a hit because he kept quite bit of money both in and out of the Bank. He would face further punishment when the Black family got itself together though.

The problem was that even though some things had stayed the same - relatively speaking- there was a chance that Crouch Sr. could come to the bank and get detained and that could potentially destroy their plan to emancipate Harry via the tournament and rip British wizarding society a new one and began to change it's government or tear it down all together. There was a lot riding on this and this newest development was a huge gamble.

"It will be done my lord," One of the goblin guards bowed before running to spread the word to the other goblins.

"Go on Harry," Thomas said. "We'll see you in a few."

Both Harry's nodded to him then the goblin healer before the younger Harry stepped inside.

"I'll be right back," The goblin healer told the older Harry who merely nodded his head. In less then a minute, the goblin returned from the chamber with a black stone that was covered in goblin runes while being held by a gold chain. "Wear this and you will be under the ward." He offered the stone to Harry who grabbed and started to put the chain over his head but Thomas rushed over to him. His fast movement startled the guards but Ragnok held his hand up to stop them from doing anything.

"You put that on now, you'll start to fall a sleep." Thomas said to Harry before turning to Ragnok. "May we have a bed or something? Just for the time being."

Ragnok pulled out his dagger and swung it in a complicated pattern before a bed not unlike ones used in school infirmaries appeared in front of them. "Will this suffice?"

"It will," Thomas nodded and gestured for Harry to lie down. Ragnok moved into the chamber to oversee the ritual himself but not until after he told the guards not to harm the none goblins. Harry sat on the bed and put the stone around his neck. As he did so, he started to feel very drowsy and he began to lie back. No sooner than when his head hit the pillow did he fall a sleep. Thomas gave the goblin king a thumbs up and the goblin nodded before the chamber doors were closed.

Inside the chamber the healers were chanting in their native tongue.

*Hear us, mother magic,

for your children have need of you.

Help us to cleanse this young one,

so his life can begin a new.

Let us take his magic till little is left.

So we can remove the anchor within his head*

As they spoke, both Harry's began to glow. The glow slowly began to recede as their magical cores were being drained. Their faces started to develop a sunken in look- especially around the eyes. Thomas had flashbacks to when Bella was pregnant with Nessie when he saw it in a vision and Artorius was reminded of the De Luca's. There was a break in the action as one of the goblin healers used something similar to the bubble head charm around Harry's head to catch the soul fragment long enough for them to place it in an enchanted jar. They also began to remove the block from Harry's core before getting ready to start chanting again.

When the chanting resumed, both scars from their respective Potter opened up. The older Harry's scar merely opened but the younger Harry's scar started to bleed only the liquid was black like ink instead of red. There was an inhuman scream as Tom Riddle's soul fragment tried to fight to stay inside Harry's scar.

The goblins chanted faster as the horcrux slowly left the young wizards head. This was what would be the hardest task in this process. It was not what would take the longest but it would be the most stressful. Normally when a horcrux was made, it had it's own natural defense and -depending on how much of a person soul was given into making this horcrux- a mind of it's own. Meaning that not only was it well protected without an added charm or some such, it also meant that it would put up a fight till the bitter end.

Luckily both Harry's were under that ward otherwise they would have made their displeasure known and ruined the ritual though there were a few facial ticks every now and again.

The soul fragment screamed abuse at the goblins which was ignored though they all had a difficult time in doing so because the damn thing was so loud. After what felt like an eternity, the piece of Tom Riddle's tainted soul left Harry's scar. It swirled above his face before shooting upwards before being caught in the bubble that the goblins placed there before.

It fought to get out; it clawed, swiped and struck at the bubble that detached itself from the area by Harry and floated upwards. One of the goblins grabbed one of their enchanted jars and positioned themselves under the bubble. The jar acted like a vacuum and started to suck the soul into it. It was like watching a scene from Ghostbusters where the crew sprung their trap to catch a ghost. While there was no electrical discharge, it still caught the fragment in an almost tractor beam like force.

With one last scream of rage, the fragment disappeared into the jar and the goblin covered it quickly before the fragment could try to escape. None of the goblins had a chance to rest as they felt the young Potter heir's magic quickly returned and they thanked any deity they could think of that the ward was still holding as they worked to slow the influx of magic.

* * *

While all of this was going on, the homunculus that hosted another part of Tom Riddle, screamed as pain like it had never felt coursed through it's hideous body. Peter Pettigrew, more commonly known as Wormtail, panicked at what he was seeing. His frantic mood increase when his master stopped screaming. In fact, he stopped doing anything at all.

"Master?" He squeaked and approached the homunculus only to be stopped by his masters large snake familiar. "Nagini!" Peter cried when the snake hissed at him. "I need to make sure that he is ok." The snake still hissed at him but it coiled itself protectively around it's wizard. "Is he still alive?" Wormtail felt stupid for asking that question but his master said that Nagini was very smart and could understand English.

Nagini gave him the reptilian equivalent of a glare before moving her head up and down slowly. Peter sighed wearily and tried to think of what could cause his master to be harmed. He wonder if it was that ritual his master performed after he murdered Bertha Jorkins while he was out but he just shook his head. He would get an answer later. Right now he was going to try and steal a copy of the Prophet and wait until his master woke up.

* * *

"I found him!" Esmeralda cried as her scrying crystal, which was attached to one of Harry's letters, stopped moving and hit her map of South America. "I found Sirius; he's near Catanduva in Sao Paulo. I'll grab him now and bring him here." She looked at the mirror in Bertram's hands with a serious expression. "How are they?" She said.

"Doing well," They heard Thomas say. "The fragment has been removed and now they are trying to get Harry's magic stabilized. Both of them will be fine; I promise. Are you taking anyone with you Esmeralda?"

As the others sighed in relief Esmeralda replied, "It should be a simple snatch grab. I'll have to stun him though."

"Just make sure that he's not awake until after we come back," Thomas told her. "We'll be bringing some friends who want to talk to him."

"Of course," Esmeralda nodded as if he was there before standing up. "I'll be back as soon as I can." She announced and smiled reassuringly before she disapparated silently.

"Not too many people can do that," Blaise whistled a low whistled. "Only the strongest of us can and they are few and far between. Where did all of you find her? You never said." He asked the group from Washington.

"It's a really long story but basically she found us," Embry said. "Hell she delivered a few people in this room." He gestured to the Aphrodite and her siblings. They received many questioning looks.

"She was friends with our biological father," Aphrodite murmured. Poseidon and Athena grimaced but said nothing and Henry huffed. True they weren't as angry with Makhai as they used to be and they made something akin to peace with him before he died but they still had issues with what he did. Poseidon more so than Henry and Athena but they all had problems with Makhai all the same. "She helped him deliver all of us if it was necessary."

"If it was necessary?" Narcissa frowned at her. "What do you mean?"

"Some of us are half human sure but we have a brother named Atlas who is a half giant," Poseidon said. "I myself am half Nerrid. Yes; they do exists." He smiled at the bewildered looks that he was getting. "Oh that's right; we forgot to tell you that."

"How do you forget something like that?" Neville asked incredulously. "And what makes you think that you're half Nerrid?"

"I met my mother," Poseidon shrugged. "Her skin is blue and she lives in the ocean. Not to mention the fact that Edward and Jasper were able to confirm what she was saying, and Esmeralda gave an oath on her life and her magic that what was being said was the truth even though we never asked her to do so."

"So when all of you were talking about the sons of Kronos," Hermione began but trailed off.

"They're actually real?" Daphne said incredulously and she got shrugs in return.

"Pretty much," Emmett murmured.

"And none of you thought it was a good idea to say anything?" Hannah demanded.

"And just how was this supposed to be brought up, during dinner perhaps?" Tanya asked her. "I doubt saying 'oh by the way, the gods of the Greek Pantheon are very real; potatoes anyone?' would have been sufficient." She added dryly.

"No it wouldn't," Susan conceded. "But still; this is the gods we are talking about! It would have been nice to know about this."

"It's not as if we are going to meet them you know," Kate informed everyone. "If any of those myths are even half true then they cannot directly interfere in the affairs of man. True, some of us are not human any more but we're not gods either so..." She shrugged.

"But still," Susan murmured.

"Look," Thomas said from the mirror, "we'll talk about this another time right now -" He stopped abruptly. "Oh shit." He sounded horrified.

"What? What is it?" Several people asked him. Tanya ran to Bertram and snatched the mirror out of his hands. He yelped in surprise but made no form of protest.

"Baby? Talk to me, what is it?" She demanded.

"They have a weapon," Thomas whispered though she heard him.

"Baby, you're not making any sense right now. Who has a weapon?"

"The vampires have a weapon," Thomas explained loudly and everyone in the house frowned. "It's powerful and I don't know where they got it! Oh god Tanya they'll level the camp grounds with the damn thing! I don't even know if we can - Tanya look out!" He screamed and Tanya moved out of the way just in time to avoid a large chest falling from the ceiling."No one touch that thing. I have no idea who sent that and I have no idea what's in it. Just keep your distance and wait for all of us to come back."

A piece of paper appeared from the ceiling and fell to the floor right next to the chest. It was folded up so no one could to what was on it.

"Teej?" Embry asked as he eyed the paper warily. Draco and Blaise were setting up a few wards to make sure that no one went near it for the time being.

"Levitate it but don't touch it." Thomas said after a moment.

Embry concentrated and the paper began to rise. He used the motions necessary with his hands to unfold the paper as if he were holding it. There was a note written on the paper and Embry read it aloud.

_Consider this the first of many gifts my children. Regardless of what has been stated before,_

_you are not alone and I will be there to help you. As long as I breath, I will not allow harm to come to you._

_Love always, MM._

Embry frowned and he wasn't the only one frowning but he did voice what they were all thinking.

"Who the hell is MM?"

* * *

MM or rather Hecate as she was more commonly known smiled smugly as her care package arrived in the hands of the time travelers. She had been monitoring both them and Ares at the same time and she had to stop herself from killing Ares when she saw him send the Omega blade to the vampires. The weapon was dangerous in the hands of a god but in the hands of a non-god it was just as dangerous. The earth would be razed a thousand times over if used properly and if the person had the will to do it.

That was why she sent the time travelers that chest because their weapons would have been useless against a weapon forged by a god. She was going to make good on her promise and no one or anything was going to get in her way. That she swore on the River Styx.


	15. Acceptance

Sirius Orion Black, the third of his name in the line of Hercules, heir to the Black family fortune and title was feeling rather dizzy. He remembered heading towards Catanduva in Sao Paulo state and from there he was going to head to Sao Paulo city to that branch of Gringotts to get more money. News of his escape hadn't reached that part of the world and even if it did they wouldn't follow that kiss on sight order that was implemented because a) they despised the dementors, b) they made it a policy to interrogate criminal's who are wanted in other countries first -as was the policy of many other magical communities- instead of just handing them over.

Sirius would be a special case though because many places demanded to see his trial transcripts as proof of his guilt but never received any so they called off their search parties at the moment until they got them. Too bad they wouldn't be getting any.

As Sirius took a break in an abandoned hut, he was hit in the back with a stunner. Now he woke up strapped to a chair with a group of people in front of him. One he recognized or at least he thought he did.

"Harry?" He asked the person who looked like his godson.

"Hey Sirius," The healthier looking Harry said. His voice was deeper though not as deep as Thomas'. His scar had faded and he wasn't wearing glasses anymore. His hair looked tame as opposed to that birds nest that it usually looked like. He wasn't painfully thin anymore but he wasn't ridiculously proportioned either. His frame was just right for his age. "How are you feeling?"

"Like I'm strapped to a chair," Sirius said dryly and there were a few chuckles. "Where are we? Who are all these people? And why do you look so different?"

"Headquarters, friends and family, and I just went through a cleansing ritual." Harry answered tiredly. "But that's not important right now; what is important is clearing your name." Sirius opened his mouth but Harry continued. "We have people here who can help with that."

Ironfang and Ragnok moved forward from behind the non-goblins and Sirius blinked at them.

"King Ragnok?" He said to the more regal looking goblin.

"Hello Mr. Black," Ragnok nodded. "This is master teller Ironfang and we are here to help clear your name." He declared and Sirius was immediately skeptical which showed on his face because the goblin king smirked slightly. "We are getting nothing out of this Baron Black though we could do great harm to wizards and witches or the lies told by Mr. Crouch and former Minister Bagnold who gave us their assurances -as well as false documentation- to your guilt. We are in the process of correcting the majority of that but we do need your help."

Sirius frowned and shifted in his chair. His parents had ranted and raved about the fact that goblins had control over wizarding assets but he didn't mind them so much. He didn't trust them entirely but it had nothing to do with what they were and more so to do with the fact that they basically had him -and everyone else that had accounts with them- by the balls when it came to money. While Sirius was hardly greedy, he coveted the money his uncle Alphard had given him when he ran away at the age of sixteen. It was the last gift his uncle had given him before he was shunned by the rest of the family and blasted off of the family tree. Alphard Black had faded into obscurity before dying in 1978 from being cursed by a book that grew hands and began to strangle him. His sister and Sirius' demented mother, Walburga, had cursed one of Alphard's favorite books before she had passed on to get back at him for helping her blood traitor son.

"How can I help you," Sirius began. "I am not in any position to do so."

"Well you can start by claiming your title of Lord Black-"

"No!" Sirius bellowed at the goblin king who stared at him in surprise. "I refuse! I -"

Thomas swiped his hand to the side and Sirius was smacked on the left side of his face, stopping him mid rant.

"You do realize that had we been in Gringotts, you would have been gutted for yelling at King Ragnok do you not?" Thomas asked the grim animagus who glared at him. "Just because you were sorted into house filled with brash people does not give you the right to act brash - especially towards people who want to help you prove your innocence so you can be with what little family you have left!" He snarled and Sirius flinched at his words - not even bothering to defend his old house.

"Thomas," Harry of 94 said sharply. "That's enough so back off." He ordered and Thomas turned ever so slowly to him. Two sets of green eyes met one another and glared.

"Because he is family and because I respect you, Hadrian, I will let what you just did slide - for now." Thomas hissed at Harry who just continued to glare. "Do not presume to think that you can order me around or I will remedy that notion very quickly." After a few more moments, Harry nodded stiffly as he realized that what he said was the wrong thing to say but Thomas was in the wrong as well.

Thomas turned back to Sirius, "You don't want your title then fine but you need to officially state that or take it and name a regent until your heir is of age to accept." He said firmly.

"The only heir that was named to receive anything from me is Harry," Sirius flatly stated though he was very wary of Thomas. He felt...off to Sirius. He had a presence, Sirius had decided. A strong presence; a different presence but a presence none the less. One that didn't immediately put him off but made him feel uneasy though that may have been because his animagus form was freaking out at the moment. "And since I was disowned-" He continued hotly to try and get his point across but he got cut off.

"No you weren't," Bertram interrupted him. It was decided that only those who had ties to the Black family and were of age would handle this meeting. "Just because you were blasted off the tree and just because your mother said so, does not mean you were ineligible of gaining the Black family title."

"But I was imprisoned-"

"Illegally," Artorius said dryly. "And since you never bent the knee to anyone from a lesser house or took their symbol; the title is yours. Even if you did either of those things, Harry would still inherit anyway because he is the only one from the main line left to inherit through his grandmother Dorea. If he wasn't here, it would probably go back to the crown or something." He looked to Ragnok who nodded at him.

"All of the old houses recognizes the power the crown holds and if their lines end, their monies and assets are given to the crown until someone can lay claim to them if possible otherwise they will remain." The goblin king murmured. "That's what happened to some of the old families when their lines died out. Like the house of Harkrider, or the house of Ayresman, to name a few. House Peverell, while gone in name, actually lives on through the Potter family because a daughter of that house married into the Potter family. The only ones left now that are truly themselves is Potter, Black, Bones, Macmillan, Abbot, and Longbottom."

"We're not asking you to rule over the Wizengamot or the dark faction Sirius," Harry said quietly. "Let's be honest with ourselves - even if we can prove your innocence and that you haven't gone insane, no one will follow you or consider you a threat when it comes to politics. They won't grant you custody of me either but this way you could at least do some damage for what's happened to you. But in order for you to do that, you need to take what is yours so we can help you."

Sirius stared at his godson with conflicting emotions. On one hand, he wanted to rant and protest to doing this. He well and truly hated his parents and their pureblood dogma. He was disappointed in his brother for becoming a Death eater and he didn't really want to think about his other relatives except maybe Narcissa, Andromeda, and his grandfather, Arcturus. They were the only ones that he had a civil relationship with and he was particularly close to Andromeda.

On the other hand, he had no alternative methods of clearing his name and as much as he hated to admit it, this might be his only shot.

"What do I need to do?" Sirius said, his shoulders slumping in defeat. Harry walked over to him and patted his shoulder.

"It will all be worth it Padfoot," He murmured as Ragnok stepped forward, a scroll in one hand, a dagger in the other.

"You will need drop some of your blood onto this and repeat the oath that is written," Ragnok told him as the restraints that Sirius was in disappeared. He took the offered scroll reluctantly and began to unroll it. After reading through the oath, he placed the paper in his lap and took the dagger before nicking his pointer finger. Three drops of blood fell onto the paper which began to glow.

"I do solemnly swear to uphold the value of family and protect those who share my blood and bear my name," Sirius solemnly intoned as he began to be surrounded by black fire. The Black's, true Blacks at least, could produce hellfire without question. It was one of the few family talents that they had which had now become a rarity. Sirius had done this once before when he was about four years old and that was the first and only time his parents had been proud of him His grandfather had been proud as well but he could tell that his grandson was scared about being able to do that. "I will make my ancestors proud and make my enemies tremble at the mere mention of my name - Sirius Orion Black. The Black of Black, the Baron Blackmoor and Lord of an Ancient and Noble house!"

The glow on the paper began to brighten before it started to dim. Sirius handed the parchment and dagger back to Ragnok, "It's done," He said flatly. "Now what?"

Harry clasped a hand on his godfather's shoulder, "There's someone you need to meet," He turned to Artorius. "This is Artorius, he's our cousin from the Colonies - and my suggestion for the regent of House Black."

* * *

**AUGUST 14, 1994**

**12:06 PM**

**THE BURROW**

Harry, Thomas, Tanya, Artorius, Bertram, Wilfred, Embry, Irina and two others walked over towards the Weasley's house with lots of bags where they were greeted by Arthur and his oldest son William. Both stared at the last to people with surprise.

"Grandma? Grandpa?" William said to them. "What are you doing here?"

"Is that all you have to say to your darling Grandmother, William?" Cedrella Weasley nee' Black asked as she stepped forward and pulled her eldest grandson into a hug. Her features were a stark contrast to her son and his children. Her eyes were grey and her hair was dark as night where as her children and grandchildren had flaming red hair with brown or blue eyes. In the old timeline, Cedrella had died from a heart attack in 1995 and her husband followed soon after. Out of respect for the family - Harry left that out of the books and films along with the death of Arcturus Black in Harry's first year.

"Sorry," Bill muttered as he hugged his grandmother. He loved his grandparents dearly and often wondered why they hadn't come around frequently when he was younger. As he grew older he realized that his mother and his grandmother did not get along and eventually, both of his grandparents stopped coming around altogether. They wrote from time to time but it wasn't the same. Bill didn't blame his grandmother though as he took the first chance he had to get out of the country not too long after he graduated just to avoid his mother. "It's just-"

"I know little one, I know," Cedrella pulled back and patted his cheek affectionately. She had always referred to her grandkids as little ones even though they were no longer little. "I love what you've done with your hair," She eyed the long mane her grandson was sporting before peering at his dragon tooth earing. "And what's this?" She raised an eyebrow as she grasped the earing in question as her husband and son embraced each other.

"Just a new addition," Bill shrugged as he glanced at the people he didn't know. "Hello, Bill Weasley." He stuck his hand out to the first person close to him which was Artorius. Cedrella smacked his chest lightly.

"I wish all of you would stop shortening your names," She chided and her husband chuckled.

"Come now, Ella," Septimus Weasley began but stopped when his wife glared at him. Her grey eyes pierced his brown ones and he held his hands up in surrender. He and Arthur had a lot in common. Both started losing their hair when they were young, both had a strong sense of pride and both were completely whipped when it came to their wives.

"Artorius Black," The lion animagus shook Bill's hand firmly with his free hand.

"He's our cousin from the colonies," Cedrella said. "So are the rest except for Embry and Irina," She nodded to the two people in question. "And of course, you know young Hadrian here."

"Hello Mr. Weasley," Harry said politely. He had always liked Arthur regardless of how he felt about Molly and Ron.

"Harry?" Arthur frowned." You look -" He struggled for the right word.

"Different," Harry supplied with a nod.

"Yes," Arthur's frown did not increase but he didn't lose it either. "Harry where have you been? Ron showed us the letter you wrote saying that you had left your relatives house. We have come to get you later for the cup; why didn't you wait?" Harry had written not to long after he left Privet drive saying that he wouldn't be there and that he would keep in touch

"That would be our fault," Bertram began. "We decided to pay Harry a visit and his relatives took offense. Mind you we didn't contact them before hand but how were we to know that they hated wizard kind and thought them to be freaks?"

Cedrella was muttering under her breath about muggles and lack of respect. Her husband scowled at nothing in particular. Bill narrowed his eyes until they were slits and Arthur just frowned even more. Thomas picked up the conversation.

"We only wished to talk to Harry to see how he was doing," He murmured. "Our governments don't really like one another so coming here before was always uncertain but since the U.S. was invited to the world cup even though we're not in the final, it seemed like a good idea to come and talk. Imagine our surprise when Harry's relatives practically pissed on the graves of Lily and James Potter, insulted Harry and magic users in general - all in the same sentence- while feeling totally justified in doing so. There was no way we were letting him stay with them so he came with us." He shrugged before offering Bill his hand. "Thomas Black," Bill shook his hand and noticed that his hand was a lot warmer than most but didn't comment. "This is my wife Tanya." Bill noticed the massive temperature difference when he shook the strawberry blonde's hand but again didn't comment.

More introductions were made before Thomas spoke again.

"How about we take this over to the house," He suggested. "We brought some food and the weather is nice so how about a little lunch?" He asked as he held up the bag he was holding. There were nods of agreement though, those with good hearing heard Cedrella mutter 'at least I won't have to eat that Harpy's cooking.'

As they walked closer to the house, Thomas reflected on what happened recently and what he learned about the changing timeline.

* * *

After extensive checks, they opened chest in the house. To their surprise and confusion, the chest was much bigger on the inside. So big that there was at least a ten foot drop. Many looks were exchanged before Thomas offered to go down.

"I'm coming with you," Embry said firmly as their mates and the mothers of their children coughed and raised their eyebrows at them.

"You would leave us both behind," Tanya asked her husband. She saw his eyes flicker towards the children; Embry did the same. The message was clear - at least one parent had to stay with them.

"We'll go with you," Artorius said firmly with Bertram and Wilfred nodding in agreement.

"So will I," Esmeralda shuffled over to them and peered down into the chest. She held out her hand, palm facing upwards, and a ball of light floated above it. She let the ball drop into chest to provide more light then there was before. They all drew their weapons except Esmeralda who always conjured or transfigured one if she needed to. They all nodded to their friends before dropping one by one. They stood in a circle, eyes darting around, looking for any danger. From what they could see there were a few tables in the trunk.

There was a sudden burst of light that swept through the trunk and torches that were on the walls they couldn't see lit up. While the drop was at least ten feet, the room was massive - about the size of parking building floor. There were tables with tomes and scrolls on them and there were chests and weapon racks with various weapons from various cultures.

Thomas noticed that a scroll on one of the tables was glowing. After checking to make sure that there wasn't any traps on it, Thomas picked it up and opened it. The others alternated between peering at him and looking around the room. They watched as Thomas' eye widened before he rushed over to them.

"This is what I saw!" He cried before looking up at the opening they came through which had several people looking into it. "Come on down!" He called over to them. "It's safe!"

As more people entered the room Thomas turned back to the parchment and continued to read.

* * *

The parchment had a picture of the weapon known only as the Omega Blade which was forged by Ares himself in the depths of the Underworld using one of the abandoned forges of Hephaestus, his younger brother and forger of some of the finest weapons on Mount Olympus, save for the weapons used by the King and his brothers.

It was made as a weapon to end the life of any surrounding area -or anything - that the wielder wanted it to. Buildings would crumble, fields of crops would die, rivers would dry up, and any living thing would turn to ash under it's power. Ares named it the Omega Blade after the last letter in the Greek Alphabet as symbol of the end that would be brought by the wielders hand which, in this case, happened to be a coven leader who had no qualms with destruction.

It wasn't unbeatable in the least but it was difficult to do so without the metals used by the Gods - which was on the weapons rack and in the chests. There was a scroll that said they needed to combine their weapons with the metal which would give them an advantage over the blade because both had been enchanted with different kinds of magic that would counter the magic the blade has. It was an easy process to do -They only needed to place their weapons near the metal in question and the two would combine- and they wouldn't need to melt down their weapons but they would change anyway.

Those who used weapons were reluctant to do so because they worked so hard on personalizing their weapons -Except for Thomas and Embry who were either gifted their weapon or chose it- but they steeled themselves and got to work. Thomas' weapon had grown until it reached five feet. There was no ring on the end and in it's place was a spike. The dragon scales on the handle became more defined and a blade not unlike a Bardiche was attached to the weapon. The blade was engraved with Polynesian designs.

Embry's Sicca had another Sicca attached to it but it faced the opposite direction. The blades themselves were longer and sharper. The handle was now black as opposed to silver with gold tribal engravings.

Tabitha's Javelin was now white instead of black and was affixed with circular blades on each end that resembled the golden coin shovel used in Asian weaponry. He sister's chain whip/rope dart combo now came with a longer handle and a three pronged dart and instead of being blue, it was the color of sea foam. Brady's sword was now red instead of gold. The handle wasn't round anymore and it was red and silver. Collin's Morningstar no longer had spikes on the head of it and the blade of a Khopesh was added to the handle.

Derek could always make his own weapons if he wanted but he preferred to take the energy -no matter what it was- and throw it back at his opponent. His sister Danielle never really felt the need for weapons either because her power of sound manipulation was used for stealth or distraction though she did receive a dagger made from this new process as did Derek.

The vampires would use their superior abilities against their weaker cousin's save for the one with the blade. The hybrids apart from the children would help evacuate the campsite or battle the Death Eaters along with a few of the wolf shifters and the statues. That was the plan they had come up with at the time but they were still fine tuning it.

Thomas then discussed the time line changes with the group.

* * *

"How much has changed so far?" Harry prompted Thomas.

"Not much, apart from the fact that all of you end up in America a lot sooner if you decide too and you basically destroy the government when you do so,"

"How does that work?" Embry frowned.

"In order for the Wizengamot to make any laws or deal with any other business all active seats must convene," Harry told him. "The Potter seat at the moment is in a state of limbo because I am not old enough to take the seat nor am I the head of my house so I can't assign a regent to do my bidding. The Black seat _was_ in limbo until recently when Sirius named Artorius as regent. No one touched it before because you have to be a male from the direct line to take the title like Draco and I though most people assumed Draco was next in line since people seem to forget that my grandmother was a Black. If a seat is active but has no one to take it's place, the Wizengamot would be on hold until someone is named or selected to take it otherwise they can't do anything."

He paused for a moment to gather his words.

"There is a failsafe in the charter for the Wizengamot." He began. "The basic principle of it is if the Lords or Lady's of the Ancient and Noble lines feel that the government is not upholding the promise of keeping the people safe and being fair and just, then they, as a group, have the power to annul their oaths which would in turn disband the government until a new one could be put in place. The majority of the old families have to agree to it though but it could be done none the less. It's called the Power of the First."

"You need four votes since there are only six families left," Tanya murmured. "Unless of course, you happen to be descended from other ancient families apart from the Peverell's and such."

"Even if I was I wouldn't use them anyway," Harry said with a shake of his head. "I may be able to increase the chance of success for it but it could also come back to haunt me which is why I won't separate the House of Peverell from the House of Potter. Too many variables,"_There's also a good chance that I may end up with another wife which I don't need because I am perfectly content with what I have._ He thought to himself. His marriages were far from perfect, especially in the beginning but as the years rolled on they had managed to have a civil relationship.

"What about back home?" Emmett asked Thomas who pursed his lips together.

"The magical half of our family seems to be alright," He said. "I only say seems because it honestly depends on when all of you," He gestured to those from the British Isles. "decide to include them," He waved to Artorius and his friends. "until then, the timeline seems to be in a state of flux. The one thing that hasn't changed at all is the attack from the De Luca siblings; I think it's a fixed point in time."

"Fixed point in time?" Several people asked but they were answered by an unlikely source.

"It's an event that cannot be altered from the time stream," Embry informed them, almost absently. Not noticing the looks he was getting, he continued, "Trying to alter it would potentially destroy time and the past, present, and future could merge into one reality until it's fixed." This time he did notice the looks he was getting. "What?" He said defensively.

"Where on earth did you learn that?" Hermione asked him suspiciously.

"Doctor Who," Embry shrugged and Hermione just stared at him incredulously as did many other people.

"Anyway," Thomas said before more people could comment. "We'll have to play that by ear."

"And our side of the family?" Rosalie asked him. Thomas grimaced slightly at what he was about to say.

"Our side has remained intact - but so have our enemies," He lips curled and his teeth were bared as he spat out the next words which filled people with dread.

"The Volturi still live."

* * *

Thomas had known that there was a chance that the Volturi could still be around in this new timeline but he hoped against hope that they wouldn't be. They had nearly destroyed a family because they were afraid of their power, they had destroyed countless covens in the name of acquisition, and felt no remorse about it. The only king that Thomas pitied was Marcus because of what happened to his mate and he did not wish that on even his worse enemy.

In this new timeline, the confrontation took place on the same day but the bonds between Demetri and Tabitha, Randall and Danielle, Mary and Derek, and Maggie and Jack was established then and there as opposed to later on in the year. Aro still chose not to fight but it was with a heavy reluctance this time around as opposed to a tactical retreat. He was also very reluctant to leave Demetri behind but at the time he couldn't legitimize his reasoning for wanting them to come back to Volterra because guard members could leave anytime they wanted too -in theory at least- and there were too many witnesses much like what happened with Eleazar. So Aor decided to let them go for now until he had a chance to try and get what he wanted.

Another change in the timeline was that Thomas now had a brother and sister named Aidan and Sophia. His father would still die in this timeline but not until Thomas turned fourteen as opposed to when he was four. Tanya and Thomas bonded at Bella and Edward's wedding this time instead of when they came to help with the Volturi. Another thing that stayed the same so far was when they all had kids though from the look of it Leah's baby was now going to be another boy instead of the girl Thomas had seen before they traveled back in time.

Thomas shook himself as the group had made it to the Weasley's house where they could hear the Matriarch screeching at her children that lunch would be ready.

"And so we reach the living Howler herself," Cedrella muttered to her husband whose face became rather pinched because of the sound and what his wife said. He was really starting to wonder if coming here was a good idea knowing what kind of tone both his wife and daughter in law were going to use with one another.

They all followed Arthur into the house to begin what would be and interesting and potentially informative.


	16. The Weasley's

"Oh, Cedrella," Molly Weasley's tight smile had pretty much set the pace of the greetings that were to exchanged. "How are you?" Despite asking that question it was painfully obvious that she didn't want to know.

"Oh I'm healthy as a horse, thank you for asking," Cedrella said distractedly but grinned when the rest of the Weasley family entered the room. Charlie, Fred, and George immediately descended on her with cries of, "Grandma!"

She hugged each of them and gave each of them a once over and commented on how they looked before turning to address the last of her grandchildren.

"Percival, Ronald, Ginerva," She nodded to each of them. She was there when Ron and Ginny were younger but after she stopped coming around, the younger Weasley children had only read her letters and didn't remember her so well. Percy nodded back respectfully to his grandmother.

Percy had always struck Cedrella as a Slytherin given his ambitious nature so she was surprised when he became a lion. She chalked it up to him asking to be placed there instead of actually being brave; probably to appease his mother who expected all of her children to be lions like her and her family. Contrary to popular belief, the Weasley family wasn't always sorted into Gryffindor. The wives were, more often than not, from other houses. Even the male Weasley's were sorted into different houses if there was more than one male child. Cedrella's deceased son Billius was a Hufflepuff while Arthur was a lion. This current generation was the first on in a long time where all the children were in the same house.

"Lo there Molly," Septimus greeted his daughter in law politely. While he did not dislike Molly, he understood why his wife did. Molly had used a mild love potion on Arthur in their sixth year of schooling - she had done so because she was tired of waiting for Arthur to make his move and ask he out. She thought that it would speed up the process -which it did- but Cedrella only found out at Arthur's graduation party when Molly all but bragged about it to a friend that she didn't tell.

Cedrella was infuriated but remained cool until the guest left. Once they did, she began to thrash Molly any way that she could. Magically, physically, etc. Cedrella didn't care how she did it as long as she hurt Molly for using that potion on her son. It took a combination of her two sons and her husband to pry her off of the beaten Molly. Bilius had to defend his mother when the Prewett twins, Fabien and Gideon, had pulled their wands to defend their sister. Molly's parents had been furious of course but after they learned what their daughter did their tempers had cooled somewhat. Although they did lay into Molly stating that her two week stay at Saint Mungo's wasn't the worst that could happen to her should charges be pressed and that she should consider herself lucky hat Arthur had begged his parents not to do so. They agreed in the end but whatever potential relationship between Molly and Cedrella died that night.

"Hello Septimus,"Molly said happily before peering at the others. When her eyes landed on Harry they widened before they narrowed. With a speed that no one knew she had, and with a cry of his name, she moved to him and drew him into a hug. Harry immediately tensed before he returned the hug reluctantly though not too many people noticed. Those that did understood how hard this was for him.

"Where have you been young man?" Molly berated Harry who stared at her blankly though on the inside he was starting to get angry. Molly was not his mother and she had no right to berate him.

"He was with us," Artorius said smoothly and Molly frowned at him before putting her hands on her hips.

"And just who are you?" She demanded of him. Several sets of eyes narrowed slightly but Artorius continued to speak.

"I am his family," Artorius said bluntly though he smiled a little to soften his words. "And I am yours as well. My name is Artorus Black, the first of his name and regent for the Most Ancient and Noble house of Black."

Charlie, Percy, Fred, and George looked towards his left hand to see the Black family ring appear into view. Ron frowned at Harry, mostly because of his appearance but he also wondered how Harry met these people. Arthur and Bill stood straighter than they did previously. Ginny had been fighting a blush since she saw the new and improved Harry and welcomed the distraction. Molly just frowned even more.

"And what right did you have in taking Harry away from his aunt and uncle?" Molly scowled at Artorius who lost his smile. "And why wasn't he immediately brought to us." Her eyes raked over Harry's form once more. "What spell did you cast on him? You will remove it now or tell me how to do it." She all but snapped as she inspected Harry closely. The corner of Harry's eyes tightened at her actions but he made no other movement. Arthur looked ready to speak but he was beaten to it.

"You have a lot of nerve for speaking to the regent of your house this way," Artorius spoke calmly though a bit of Black family magic had seeped into his voice causing several people to tense especially Arthur. "I don't know whether to be insulted or impressed." He continued and Molly shifted slightly but narrowed her eyes at the lion animagus.

"I was born a Prewett and I am a Weasley as well and will always be - I am not a Black," Molly stated firmly but Artorius continued to smile and spoke before she could pick up steam.

"Do you not remember what Cedrella's maiden name was?" He asked her and Molly scowled again.

"Black obviously other wise you wouldn't have asked but she was kicked out of the family," Molly spoke somewhat condescendingly and with a little bit of relish. "Now answer my questions young man -"

"You are correct," Artorius interrupted her again as Cedrella's eyes flashed as she glared openly at Molly. "Or at least, you were except one of the first acts for my tenure as regent was to reinstate people into the family - Cedrella was included." Molly's startled gaze looked towards Cedrella's face which was blank though if you looked closely the corners of her lips twitched at Molly's discomfort.

"But Septimus-" Molly began to protest only to interrupted yet again.

"While I am more than confident that he was a wonderful head of house," Artorius began. "When Cedrella was reinstated, you all gained the protection of an Ancient and Noble family but since the Weasley's are not of the same status as the Black family, the power of Primacy comes into play."

"What?" Arthur breathed with wide eyes. "But that means-"

"That I could bend all of you to my will if I wanted to but don't you think I would have done so by now if I really wanted to?" Artorius raised an eyebrow at him. "It's standard for all marriages between any member of the Black family who marries someone not from an old family and the only one who can annul said marriage is either the regent or the lord of the house. With Cedrella and Septimus, there is some leeway because they have no contract between the two of them so they could disenfranchise themselves - and all of you as well- if they wanted too."

Arthur had to sit down at all of the information he was given. His family had been officially recognized by a family that hated the union between his parents and now he was basically under the command of someone who was about the same age as his son. Right now he didn't know what to think or feel. Bill and Charlie eyed Artorius distrustfully. The twins land Ginny looked at him in awe for rendering their mother speechless as she gaped. Percy had a contemplative look on his face. Ron just looked confused.

"I know this is a lot to take in but I will answer your questions over lunch if I am able too." Artorius said honestly. "As will the rest of the family." He motioned to the people who came with him. He started to head outside and motioned for his group to follow. Bertram, Wilfred, Thomas and Embry raised their eyebrows at the Weasley's before they began to follow though Thomas stayed behind with Harry to make sure he got out of the house. It was a good thing he did because Molly tried to grab him again as she held her wand. Cedrella began to reach for hers but Septimus stopped her.

"Is there a problem Mrs. Weasley?" Thomas asked her mildly as he stood next to Harry and loomed over the witch.

"I was trying to see if I can remove whatever has been done to him."

"What's been done to him was to heal the damage to his core and his body," Thomas said coolly. "It's a cleansing ritual which is normally performed by the goblins but if you are versed in old magic and confident in your abilities, you can do it as well. If you don't believe ask your son William. We talked to the goblins before coming here," He said to Bill who looked at him with a questioning gaze. "You were mentioned in passing - apparently a lot of the tellers are pleased with your work." Bill inclined his head though he was grinning inwardly at the news. Thomas turned back to Molly. "I understand your concern and it is greatly appreciated but we are handling it at the moment and Harry will make a full recovery from the trauma that you people put him through and ignored."

Harry gave him a sharp look which was ignored and while Molly drew in a breath. The others in the room looked on in confusion except for the twins who knew what he meant and had uncharacteristic looks of anger on their faces though they weren't angry at him.

"Excuse me," Molly demanded acidly. "We have not put him through anything." She all but hissed but Thomas remained unaffected.

"Surely you were not so blind that you didn't notice that Harry was underfed," Thomas murmured. "Or did his resemblance to his father make you ignore that?"

"I've been feeding him when he's here and sending him food!" Molly's nerves had been frayed at seeing her mother in law here and some stranger questioning her about her methods with dealing with Harry - someone she had come to see as another son- her normal attitude and behavior was no longer present.

"And you don't find it odd that you have to send him food?" Thomas asked her with narrowed eyes. "I suppose that it shouldn't surprise me considering that you ignored your sons when they told you he has bars on his window - something that I have seen myself."

"But-I thought-" Molly stumbled over her words but Thomas continued on.

"Are you coming outside or are you staying with your friends for now, Hadrian?" He looked to the young wizard who shrugged and nodded to Ron and the twins. There were frowns at the mention of Harry's birth name. "Ok I'll see you outside in a moment." Harry held up his hand to stop him from going and motioned for him to come closer. Harry moved to the right side of the Alpha's face so the others couldn't see him.

"What the hell are you doing?" Harry hissed in a whisper, his eyes flashing with anger.

"Riling her up," Thomas replied in a whisper with his lips barely moving. "She needs to learn that not everyone will be cowed by her."

"This will get out of hand," Harry whispered warningly.

"I know that; we all do." Thomas said. "Do you honestly think Cedrella is going to play nice with Molly? After all that she did?"

Harry sighed through his nose but said nothing. Thomas took that as his cue to leave.

"See you outside," He said to Harry as he moved away. To Molly he said, "Please let us know if you need extra hands in bring the food outside." He shuffled away quietly before she could protest. As Thomas reached the door, Molly rounded on Harry.

"What were you thinking about leaving your aunt and uncle with the likes of them," She demanded quietly so she wouldn't be overheard as she gestured to Thomas who stopped right in front of the door and turned around. He crossed his arms and glared at Molly who noticed that he was still there but Harry spoke up.

"The likes of what exactly Mrs. Weasley?" He said calmly and politely. "You don't dislike people from the Colonies do you? Or is it because they are from the Black family like me?" He asked curiously.

"You are not a Black." Molly said sternly, as she turned to him and tried to ignore the glares she was getting from Thomas and Cedrella. "You are a Potter. The Black family is terrible and-"

"They are my family," Harry said stiffly, interrupting her. "My grandmother Dorea was a Black."

"She probably tricked your grandfather-"

"Dorea did no such thing," Cedrella said coldly, cutting Molly off. Molly scowled as she continued. "See unlike someone in this room, she got her man the same way I did - by falling in love the natural way. No spells or potions were used."

Several sets of eyes jerked to Molly who began to puff up as her cheeks burned red.

"Molly, stop it." Arthur said wearily before his wife could speak. He really wanted to get to the heart of the matter and decided to intervene.

"But Arthur-"

"Enough Molly." Arthur stood up and headed to the kitchen. "Boys, help me take some of these platters outside. Ginny, help your mother with whatever she needs." All the boys except for Harry moved until Arthur motioned for him to follow which he did. Septimus dragged Cedrella to the front door which Thomas opened for them. He followed them as he hard Ron say, "Bloody hell mate what happened?"

"It's a very long story." Was the somewhat stiff reply.

* * *

Lunch had been tense from the beginning with Molly glaring angrily at Cedrella or anyone who wasn't apart of her brood. Some people gave her unimpressed looks, ignored her completely, or in Cedrella's case glared right back. Halfway through the meal, Artorius spoke up.

"Arthur, I presume that you have some questions," He murmured from his chair at the head of them large round dining table. Wilfred and Bertram sat on his right and left respectively. Thomas sat next to Bertram with Tanya beside him. It continued in that vein until basically the Weasley's were on one side with Septimus directly opposite Artorius with his wife on the left of him and Arthur on his right. Harry had sat where the two groups met with Ginny sitting opposite him with, blushing tomato red when he would glance her way while Ron sat next to him, shoveling food into his mouth and talking between bites every so often.

Harry definitely didn't agree with this seating arraignment because he kept getting flashbacks to the night Ron attacked Hermione. He remembered every foul word he called her when he would punch her or slam her into the pavement in his drunken rage. Harry remembered his own rage that night and the night he killed Ron accidentally but he kept his emotions in check thanks to his Occulmency training which he learned properly when he was an auror. It had helped him somewhat to know that this Ron hadn't done anything yet but he was still a jealous prat and would probably always be one.

"Yes I do," Arthur began. "What is the point of all of this?"

"Straight to the point, I like it." Arorius murmured with a smile. Adopting a serious expression, he continued. "The point, Arthur, is that the house of Black is starting to fall and I want to make it great again but with none of the old hang up's. Meaning no stock in blood purity, no kicking people out for marrying people they love, those sorts of things."

"I hope they include not getting good families killed." Molly muttered scathingly to Arthur who tried to shush her but several people heard her and they narrowed their eyes.

"William!" Bertram barked suddenly causing people to jump. He waved his hand and a Goblin pensive appeared in front of Bill. "Given who you work for, I take it that you know what that is." He gestured to the pensive. When Bill nodded he said, "Please check it to make sure that it has not been altered in anyway." As Bill drew his wand and checked the pensive, Bertram briefly explained it's features. After he was done he turned to Harry and said, "I need the memory of Padfoot, Moony, and Wormtail."

Fred and George perked up at those names and their eyes jerked towards Harry who nodded to Bertram.

"Now hold on just a minute!" Molly stood up as Bertram placed his finger to Harry's temple. "What is this about?"

"You're about to find out," Bertram almost hissed at her as he pulled the memory from Harry's mind. "Does it check out?" He asked Bill who stared at the silvery strand that hung from Bertram's finger. "William?"

"Uh yes it checks out," Bill said looking into Bertram's eyes. "It hasn't been altered in anyway."

"So that means if I were to place this memory into the pensive it would either glow normally or glow red correct?" Bill nodded his head and Bertram placed Harry's memory into the pensive. "Since it is not glowing red, that means that the memory is genuine, correct?" Bill nodded once more. "I won't ask whether or not you trust Bill's word but I will say this, throw out any preconcieved notions you have and hold any questions you have until after this is done." He tapped the pensive and the memory began to play.

"Should you really have been so casual with the wand-less magic?" Embry's tone was more curious than accusatory.

"Why not?" Bertram shrugged and Embry shrugged too, not really knowing what to say. When Molly jumped out of her seat and yelled when Ron was dragged away from Harry and Hermione, Artorius spoke up.

"Please sit Mrs. Weasley," He murmured as Bertram tapped the pensive so it could pause but Molly ignored him and yelled at Harry and Ron for not saying anything about this to her. Ron had been pale since the mention of the memory and Harry looked at her with another blank expression. "Mrs. Weasley-" He tried again but she rounded on him and scowled.

"Do not tell me what to do young man!" She snapped as Arthur tried to pull her down. "Or I will have you over my knee!"

"You are not his mother who is a hell of a lot better than you!" Cedrella snapped before Artorius could reply with a harsh retort. She'd been raring to have a go at Molly for awhile now and she would not let the opportunity pass her up even if she did lie a little. "She wouldn't chase her sons away like you did with William and Charles! Just sit your fat arse down and shut up Prewitt!"

There were several wide eyes -especially from the aforementioned people- that met her exclamation as Molly turned bright red. She shoved Arthur into his seat with enough force to send him toppling over it.

"And what would you know about being a good mother!" Molly screamed at her. "At least my children are alive, including my daughter. Can you say the same?!"

Arthur finally had enough and drew his wand. He silenced his wife before he put her in her seat and bound her in her chair. He didn't receive any struggle from his wife who paled as what she said caught up to her.

It was deathly silent before Cedrella stood up and turned to Artorius.

"May my husband and I leave, Lord Regent?" She said quietly. "I have seen what you are about to show and frankly there is very little reason for me to stay given that fact along with some of the current company here."

"Of course Cedrella," Artorius murmured, his voice just as quiet. "I'll see you at the family meeting in a few days time."

Cedrella nodded curtly before she stalked towards Molly. She waved her son off and leaned over to whisper in Molly's ear.

"If you ever speak of my Lyra like that again I will slit your throat in your sleep, Prewitt," She stressed Molly's maiden name as she hissed the words before she turned and walked to her husband. She clasped his forearm with her hand and they disapparated away. It wasn't commonly known that Cedrella had three children and that the third child, a daughter she had named Lyra, had died not too long after childbirth. The reason most people didn't know was because Cedrella and Septimus kept it under wraps to avoid being pitied or have it used against them.

"I was going to be nice about this," Artorius continued quietly but the Black family magic swirled within him as his ire began to rise. "I don't believe in making people follow me by using fear or force but given what just happened I will amend my stance. First order of business is to finish watching this memory -in silence- in response to Molly's not so quiet and scathing remark about getting good people killed." Molly's eyes widened and Artorius scowled slightly. "You really should keep your thoughts to yourself ma'am, otherwise you might say the wrong thing to the wrong people and get yourself killed."

"Oi!" Ron had roared suddenly as he made to stand but Harry gripped his arm and yanked him back into his chair. Ron's red face snapped towards Harry's.

"Be quiet Ron!" Harry hissed. "He was just giving your mum a warning."

"But he can'-"

"Ron he's the head of house at the moment," Harry cut off the angry redhead. "If he wanted any of us to we could take up a broom, fly as high as we could and plunge to our deaths! He was being polite earlier but your mum crossed the line."

"That is enough," Artorius cut in sharply, stopping whatever retort or insult Ron was about to spew. "Paly the memory Bertram. The rest of you stay in your seats and watch." He growled. The memory played again and those who haden't seen it were enthralled by the memory. When the reveal of Peter Pettigrew came up, most could only stare in disbelief, They had all been sure that it was Sirius, the twins were even disappointed that Remus was apparently helping a mass murderer.

As the memory came to a close, they were sat frozen in their chairs, mostly in denial of what they saw.

"Well?" Artorius asked as the silence dragged on.

"I'm going to be sick," Percy started gagging and Artorius said he could move from the table. Percy ran towards a bush and proceeded to empty his stomach. He began to take heaving breaths as he continued to vomit while muttering the words "I let him sleep in my bed" before vomiting again.

"This is going to be a long day," Embry muttered to Irina while trying not to make a face at the smell that came wafting over to them.

"Indeed." She muttered back.

* * *

"You well and truly believe in this plan Athena," A golden haired man with bronze armor asked the Goddess of Wisdom as he gripped a bow and tugged at the string absently. "You believe that we will have to either kill or contain our brethren?"

"Of course Apollo," Athena said patiently. They were in her temple so they could have as much privacy as possible and not be overheard. Her father and uncles were doing the same in their temples with many other deities to try and pull them to their side or feel them out. "These options are the ones with the greatest amount of success with the least amount backlash."

"That does not mean they will work smoothly Athena," A woman with white hair and silver armor spoke up as she twirled an arrow between her fingers.

"I know that Artemis, even the best plans can fail but there are no there are no other options," Athena paused before she added. "Apollo, have you seen any other...extra curricular activities from either Ares or Hecate?"

"No and we can't punish them for what they've done so far because they have not directly interfered yet." The god of prophecy said somewhat sourly. In truth Apollo could only see what the Fates had allowed him to see and only after they had decided what course was to happen. He was somewhat envious of Thomas as his power of foresight was growing to the point where he might be able to see all futures for all of mankind and without restriction from anyone else.

"So we watch as much as we can and hope that the mortals prevail over the manipulations of our brother." Athena declared calmly yet firmly.

"Do you believe they will succeed?" Artemis inquired. "The Omega Blade is one of the best swords has ever made."

"No blade that he could make would match the quality of Hephaestus' weapons," Apollo countered. "The smith god is in a league of his own."

"The mortals are capable enough to fight those in possession of the Omega Blade," Athena reasoned but said nothing more. Really though, there was nothing left to say about that. "We should head to the throne room and wait there to discuss things further with our king."

The twin Archers nodded to their sister and followed her out of the temple.

* * *

**OK if there is anyone still reading this I apologize for the delay but life can often be a pain in the ass when you want to do something fun. Don't know when I'll get the next chapter posted but I will try to get posted as soon as possible.**

**-Capt. Hazard.**


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